Vol. 110

MASTER: The mind attaches to something due to its nature, and then it becomes dependent on that thing so that it can manage to maintain that attachment and make itself stable. The way to be detached in Yoga is through taking advantage of this aspect of the mind’s nature. That is, to attach your mind proactively to Satori, which is the completion of Yoga, to Truth, to [your object of] bhakti, or to Atman. Then, as the mind becomes directed to That 100%, the mind naturally becomes detached from all interests and attachments other than That, and therefore, these things will come to be renounced. That’s the best way. Otherwise, it is endless, for the mind becomes attached to relative, imperfect things one after another and detachment never arises. Since detachment is the Truth, the attachment to the Truth will eventually transform into detachment.

The Right Teachings Speed Up One’s Journey to Independence

Saturday, July 14, 2001, Kyoto

Q: Is the desire to awaken into Satori or to realize the Truth not considered being dependent on the Truth?

MASTER: That is an unnecessary concern. Because, although it certainly may appear to be a dependent relationship, it is the habit of the mind to depend on something, or rather, it is the habit of the mind that it must depend on something regardless of what that might be. The mind cannot become independent—that is to say, the mind is always seeking joy, in other words, the mind is dependent on joy; the mind depends on the means to gain joy, and if the mind obtains it, then the mind depends on that object, the thing that the mind has obtained; and then, when the excitement toward that obtained object calms down, the mind feels empty again and tries to find a new desire; the mind depends on desire itself; and then, the mind finds an object…and that too is dependency. Therefore, whether it be the right teaching, whether it be the right Guru, whether it be your own serious discipline of spiritual practice, while you are conscious of it, there is dependency.

However, as I just said, since the mind is the kind of thing that inevitably depends on something, make the mind depend on the right thing. When it comes to judging what is right and what is not right—the right teachings quickly propel one toward independence. By making use of this dependent relationship, in fact, [Yoga] works to make the mind independent quickly. Therefore, it is nothing like the feudalistic relation between master and servant, and it only appears to be the case that a dependent relationship is temporarily formed. Of course, the Guru, too, induces and pushes disciples to become independent quickly. In Truth, complete and perfect Independence of the Self is Satori. It is the state where there is no dependence on anything, the state that is Independent and Free. Therefore, in Truth, unless the mind pulls out of dependency, Satori cannot come to be. Therefore, it isn’t necessary to worry about it. That is, it is like a temporarily dependent relationship in order to become independent.

Enjoyment Detached From Emotions

Saturday, December 21, 2013, Kyoto

Q: Shri Mahayogi has told me before I need to enjoy more. Please tell me more about that.

MASTER: I think the way of enjoying in Yoga is a bit different from that of enjoying in the emotional and worldly way of joy, anger, sorrow and pleasure. The worldly emotions are a repetitious cycle of joy, anger, sorrow and pleasure, so to speak; so, ups and downs are always following each other and they come according to the situation. And, in actuality the mind is at the mercy of these emotions, and Atman, the true Self, is lost because of that.

Now, what is the way of enjoying in Yoga? It is the state that is detached from these emotions (joy, anger, sorrow and pleasure)—if we understand it literally, it is the state of “non-sensitivity”; yet even in “non-sensitivity,” you are able to deal with various things in front of you, which could be jobs, tasks, daily chores such as cooking and cleaning. That is to say, no matter what happens, the mind does not have any comment or impression about anything, in other words, the mind does not evaluate or receive the result. As you come to establish such a way of action and thought, even though you may be “non-sensitive,” or you may not be able to feel the worldly joy or pleasure, you will come to experience joy. Since it is unchanging tranquility, a calm and even a comfortable mood is what fills the mind—that is the way to enjoy in Yoga. In this sense, whatever it might be, it is better to be proactively and actively involved in one’s work and daily affairs. It’s unnecessary to delay.

This is the [practice of discipline] in Yoga during daily life that will actually result in a much more powerful and greater transformation than the one or two hours of asana and meditation practice. Daily life itself is an uphill battle of Yoga, in the real battlefield of the discipline of your practice.

Living in Society Without Being Attached

Saturday, August 20, 2011, New York

Q: If this world is a dream, and if the Truth is beyond thoughts, are positive thoughts, such as making the world a better place, an unnecessary thing?

MASTER: They are necessary. However, the point is what their fundamental core is. This world is formed by matter. And because the mind is involved in this world, the mind thinks that is everything and hopes for it to be eternal—that is a mistake. Instead, indeed the world must be made better and better—however, you mustn’t attach to it; in order to do that, the Truth must be placed at the center. The Truth is that Existence which is the Essence within everyone. You can call it God. You can call it Atman. All living beings are here in this world with their minds, with their emotions and with their bodies. What a pity it is that the mind has forgotten its Essence. To know the Essence and to realize It is the most precious and noble work. To make the world better is the next issue. If you realize That, then you can play a more enjoyable sport, lila.

You all may know the word sannyasa, or sannyasin. Literally, it can be said that it is to renounce the world, or a person who has renounced the world. In olden times, [seekers of Truth] renounced social life, entered into the mountains, and devoted themselves to practicing spiritual disciplines. However, even if one goes off to the mountains, as long as one has an attachment in the mind, its’s the same no matter where you go. Contrary to this, if one remains in society and lives among many people while having a job, but remains without attachment, he is an authentic sannyasin. The point of the sannyasin is that it’s about the mind; the point is never about the environment or about appearances. That is also what karma yoga is about. Therefore, we who are living in this modern time must gather and display all the wonderful teachings of Yoga, in all situations. And that is possible even if you are living in New York.

The Purification of the Five Senses

Saturday, March 23, 2002, Kyoto

MASTER: As you continue to proceed in the disciplines of Yoga, some aspect of the feeling brought about by contact with various things feels a little different than before, which is as if a kind of insulation comes to be added to the five senses and this physical body. And together with the state of mind of detachment toward various things, the condition where you don’t really feel, a sort of insensitivity, even though the term is not so proper, also arises. But that, too, as it continues, is not something you are really aware of while it is happening; since it progresses naturally, you may not necessarily realize this change is taking place within you; yet, it is shifting quite substantially. Now, I said insensitivity—when it comes to the direct sense of touch, it is precisely the condition of insensitivity that comes to be created. Nevertheless, the fact is that since the whole body, which includes the five senses and the mind, has become purified, the sensory organs have become quite keen in this regard; however, in a way, the strength to restrain them will have also been cultivated. Therefore, as you deepen Yoga, you can grasp the subtlest taste among tastes, you can grasp the most subtle sound, you can start to see subtle things, and you can sense the subtlest scent.

Controlling the Sensory Organs

Saturday, December 21, 2013, Kyoto

MASTER: The meaning of the word “pratyahara” is to withdraw the sensory organs just like the turtle withdraws its limbs. The sensory organs are always working outwardly; the five senses, or ears, eyes, tongue, nose and skin, are all working outwardly to take in from the outside through contact with the outside world, and through these sensory organs the mind recognizes the outside world. Pratyahara is to withdraw this usual mechanism; it is to make it not work outwardly, to shut it out, or rather, to withdraw the sensory organs just like the limbs of a turtle and make them not work. That means it is about controlling the mind as well.

Through the practice of asana, we control the physical body, which is the outermost layer, then, through the practice of pranayama, we control the prana, which is inside that physical body, which is supporting the physical body, and next, at last, we tackle the control of the mind; the sensory organs are a part of the mind, and, as I just said, since they are working unguardedly, first you control the sensory organs and then through that you restrain the mind itself—through that one enters from dharana, to dhyana, to samadhi, which means from concentration to meditation to complete absorption. This is the explanation of the eight limbs of Yoga, which proceed from the outer to the inner. In this way, since it is through the senses that various information and stimuli are brought to the mind and the mind becomes disturbed by them, shutting the sensory organs off, or controlling them, is important for the mind, indeed.

The Objects of Attachment and Pratyahara

Saturday, January 23, 1999, Kyoto

Q: Is the completion of pratyahara a state in which, when you see an object and almost succumb to temptation, you are instead held back, or is it that even if you see an object, there may not be any interest that arises at all?

MASTER: The former one is the beginning stage and the latter one is the late stage. The mind has “changing” as its principal activity; therefore, the mind gets attached to something, one thing after another; and so, regarding change, in brief, if you liked this type of color of clothing last year but this year you are not interested in it and you like this other different color, then even if you see the color you liked last year in front of you, your attention doesn’t go there anymore; you are seeking a different color instead—it can be said that it’s like that.

That means that if you bring the object [of your attention] to that which is changeless, you will be able to avoid going around in the circle of change. That which does not change is solely that which is the Truth. That which is seen is all changeable. Only the Seer is that which is constant and changeless.

Q: If you deepen the state of Yoga, does the interest in your surroundings fade away?

MASTER: It will change, and it will fade away.

Q: Does that mean that your actions gradually become restricted or go away?

MASTER: The actions and activities caused by material desires will gradually disappear. As opposed to that, the actions caused by spiritual desires will increase; this means that the content will change to good action or that which is altruistic, in other words, from selfish content to altruistic content.

Yoga is Not Something That is Just For Show

Saturday, August 2, 2008, Kyoto

Q: How should I practice to thoroughly renounce [what needs to be renounced] in meditation?

MASTER: What needs to be renounced are the desires and attachments that are based on the qualities of the pain-bearing obstacles; that also includes the mind’s habits that you may not realize by yourself. The habits of the mind—that means the mind’s specific way of thinking, or the tendencies that the mind has unknowingly acquired. It is truly subtle, so it is quite difficult to find and eliminate them even through meditation. Therefore, when you renounce, first you need to renounce the things that are based on the qualities of the pain-bearing obstacles, and on the other hand, simultaneously, if the concentration on that which is positive, which can be bhakti or the Truth, has become perpetual, the mind is occupied by It and that which has the qualities of the pain-bearing obstacles will instead disappear as a result.

However, the practice of meditation is not sufficient for this to happen. It will not become a reality unless you go through continuously taking practical actions and [aligning your] conduct. Truly, Truth is only Truth—if you really aim only at That, you must make your conduct, your actions, follow the teachings of Truth. If there is anything that you hesitate about, what is it that makes you hesitate? If you hesitate to take action based on Truth, then there must be something there that has some quality of the pain-bearing obstacles. When you understand intellectually, but you are not actually able to take action, it means that your mind is still filled with tendencies that are based on the qualities of the pain-bearing obstacles. In order to get rid of this, you have to act. You have to put this into practice. If you don’t do that, then the mind will not be able to transform itself.

The point in Yoga is not about remaining at the level of intellectual understanding. The point is action, which relates to how you live, or rather, the way you live, as long as you have this physical body—all of this. This is the fork in the road, whether you end up with Yoga as merely your hobby, or, if you can proceed in true Yoga. I think that all the scriptures have taught these things. Even so, as far as reading the scriptures goes, there is a pitfall of incorporating only what is within the reader’s ability and only what is convenient. That is precisely why you must follow the subtle teachings [from the Guru].

Remove the Attachment to Money

Saturday, May 17, 2014, Kyoto

Q: Ramakrishna used the words “woman” and “gold,” and it is frustrating that I have not been able to discern about money. Please teach me about how the condition of the mind is where there is no attachment to money.

MASTER: Surely, Ramakrishna expressed it symbolically using the words “woman” and “gold,” however, these are symbols, and I think that ultimately that is the state of this world and people are being swayed in the world by money. Because, imagine the primitive ages, even if there were money, money would be useless. The more history comes closer to the present time, the more the surrounding circumstances have changed. Then, in this present age, people think we must have this and that, and for that reason we need this much or that much money—after all, it’s just that people are being swayed only by the world, and what symbolizes that is money. Lifestyle, or rather to say, the way you live life, does not have to be the same in the world, so you can live any way you want, depending on your ingenuity. However, if you are blinded by things, you will not be able to do that; no matter how much money you have, it’s not enough; in the end, it comes down to terrible results such as getting into debt or wrongdoings. That means that first you must control your way of living. In order to do that, I think it is important to establish your mindset, which is the basis for your way of life. Through that, I think that the attachments toward money will quickly diminish. The ideal is the style of the [authentic] practitioner of Yoga. However, in this modern time, there are things that you need to some extent; not to mention, we are not in India. Therefore, you can practice in a way that is accordingly suitable, but you should be as simple as possible—that is enough. The degree of that—everyone is under the illusion of thinking such things as “this is the standard.” But there is no standard; the degree is something that can be decided individually, and through that, you will not become a slave to money, but instead you will control or rule money without becoming a slave to money, and your attachments to money will fade away. Vivekananda often referred to this by saying something about how it is better to live one day realizing the Truth than to live a hundred years in ignorance. These are originally Buddha’s words. Vivekananda rediscovered them and advocated this all over the world. I think that everything precisely boils down to this phrase.

The Practice of Giving

Saturday, December 10, 2016, Kyoto

Q: Please teach us why one makes contributions.

MASTER: What erodes the mind is karma, it is the pain-bearing obstacles, it is ignorance. The symbol of that is money. If you have an attachment to money, it indicates that materialistic desires, pain-bearing obstacles, and attachments toward various things, are lurking there. Therefore, you gladly give up their symbol, money, for that which is holy. [We say in Japanese,] “joyful giving,” or “joyfully letting go,” [“joyfully and gladly” + “giving or letting go” in kanji]—it means to contribute with gladness and with joy, giving up and letting go, [and the meaning of the kanji is, “used for doing, or giving to spread”]. Then, that also means that making contributions is the work of reducing one’s own internal, unnecessary material desires and pain-bearing obstacles.

In the first of the stages of the Six Perfections (paramita)¹ in Buddhism, there is the practice of generosity, and you are taught to practice giving. As I just mentioned, the act of giving has the effect of purifying the mind of the person who practices it, since the symbol of material desire is the monetary desire, monetary attachment. In this meaning too, it is good to put making contributions into action correctly.

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[1] In Mahayana Buddhism, the Six Perfections are disciplines of the practice [of self-cultivation] as the basis of training to attain Enlightenment (the world of Satori): generosity or giving, or donating; proper conduct or discipline; endurance, forbearance, or fortitude; energy, diligence, vigor, effort; one-pointed concentration or contemplation; wisdom or insight.

Renunciation is Positive Action

Saturday, February 17, 2001, Kyoto

Q: I often confuse passion with impatience toward Satori. Do you have any advice on this?

MASTER: If you say fervor for Satori, it brings a positive impression—but, the secret for Satori is renunciation. Renunciation is a negative thing, because it is the act of getting rid of something. However, you practice this negative renunciation proactively and positively. The result is that renunciation is achieved, so that becomes wholly negative—it’s like turning a negative into a positive. That is one secret to Satori, or rather, it is an extremely important way to do it.

Truly, at the initial stage of practicing spiritual discipline, there are many things to learn, and there are many things that you come to realize. It seems like the mind is quite absorbed when it comes to various information, or various learnings. However, when one finishes learning to a certain extent, well, actually learning does not come to an end, but when one is able to understand things intellectually or so, the rest is that one will begin the tasks of getting down to getting rid of them. That will become the way of renunciation.

The fact that you are impatient toward Satori, in other words, what you just said itself shows that the mind is possessing these thoughts. These are imperfect; therefore, even these subtle matters, because it is a fact that there is this relationship of “I possess”—you need to renounce that. Whether possession or renunciation—whether their contents are noble or not, emotional or not, whatever it is, they are the same. In short, all of them give upadhi (added conditions) or the condition of limitation to the mind, and become the root of the creation of vasana (tendency of the mind, latent power). Therefore, for whatever the mind thinks, which means you have found there the fact that your mind is in the act of possessing, you train to get rid of it.

Walk Dynamically

Saturday, July 6, 2019, Kyoto

MASTER: For advancing in Yoga, first you need to reject the conditions such as the conventional wisdom of the world or the common customs of the world. Distance yourself from these, at the same time, concentrate on one single thing—what is right, what is the Truth. If that power of concentration or the sense of concentration occupies the mind, everything else will be expelled. Karma, pain-bearing obstacles, such things will be gone. Also, unless you heighten the power of concentration to that extent, you will not be able to advance in Yoga. If you want to execute it, then you truly have to move forward boldly and dynamically! Of course, you don’t need to be concerned about how other people view you. Public opinions are irrelevant to you. The only thing that has a connection to you is the Truth, the Existence of Truth; if you have familiarity with God, you can use the word “God.” It really boils down to that. As far as that goes, I don’t think there is anything more daring than that. Make yourself be able to say so clearly.

Complete Renunciation

Saturday, September 18, 1999, Kyoto

Q: Ramakrishna clearly said, “At this moment, renounce everything else but the Truth.” Is this something that can be said to anyone?

MASTER: The only thing that is required for the path of Satori is renunciation. Therefore, if you look at the entirety of the spiritual disciplines of practice, the length of time until one realizes Satori, or the condition of the mind at the initial stages, the spiritual disciplines of practice for Satori become closer and closer. In contrast, things that are not that, which are the worldly things, which create karma, will come to be renounced. However, the more one advances, everything has to be renounced; and including the spiritual discipline of practice that you’ve been doing and the information you’ve gained, unless all of these, all and everything, are completely renounced, the real Satori will not come. Therefore, until you reach Satori, you put, so to speak, other things, [those which are not worldly things,] or the good things [for the purpose of attaining Satori], to the mind, which could be learnings, or that could be passion for Satori. Still, these, too, are all merely relative matters. But the point is, renunciation is absolute renunciation—that means it is not relative renunciation and that absolute renunciation comes to be a necessity in the end.

What Ramakrishna is indicating by, “everything but God (Truth),” is absolute renunciation, and that is exactly the same as the complete renunciation in jnana yoga.

Q: Does it mean that regardless of the situation of being a sannyasin or a lay person, renunciation takes precedence in the universal way of walking [the path]?

MASTER: It comes first. It means that renunciation is first and it is a requirement at all times. Renunciation has to be done to the level where the word “renunciation” is no longer necessary. In fact, when everything is renounced, the word “renunciation” itself disappears. To the extent that that word is renounced, you have to renounce anything and everything, such as things that you see, which are material, and the non-material, and everything else. Therefore, since noticing or being aware of something means that there is something in your mind, it is necessary that you renounce it each and every time.

(Shri Mahayogi draws a circle on the floor with his hand, and while he is drawing many small circles within it) For instance, there are many useless things inside a container—though it may be rude to say useless things—among these things inside the container, Yoga is also there in a small portion. (Pointing to one small circle) In the beginning Yoga was this much. But this circle grows little by little, and it pushes out all other things, like that. [In a way,] it seems that a place is created in the container where all other things fit in a balanced way, since these all are relative things, they might be able to find a place relatively; yet since, in the case of Yoga, one seeks that which is absolute, inevitably other things are ejected [from the mind], and also, unless these are ejected completely as a form of renunciation, it means that Yoga doesn’t occupy the mind entirely.

That Which Cannot Be Renounced

Saturday, June 1, 2019, Kyoto

MASTER: What must be renounced? Ignorance! What can never be renounced? The Truth! The Truth is there originally, you cannot renounce It even if you want to. Therefore, let It be. Even if you let It be, It exists.

Even if you don’t attach to the Truth, even if you don’t possess It, It always exists. Truth alone exists.

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Testimonies from a Practitioner

Specialized Meditation Course, 2020
—Exposing the Actual Practice of Meditation!
Anecdotes from the Experience of Real Practice

Deepening Meditation

Speaker: Yogadanda
November 28, 2020

Part 2: Developing Faith

Cultivating the Power of Concentration

Last time, I spoke about my experience meditating on Buddha as a case of acquiring the power of concentration and then entering into meditation by concentration. This time, I will share my experience of the case in which, since the mind is so drawn to the object, there is no need to dare to concentrate, and the feeling of longing leads to meditation. The Yoga of approaching your ideal object with a feeling of longing or pining for your ideal object is called bhakti yoga.

For me myself, in the beginning my main practice of the application of meditation was the way of discrimination. However, at some point, I came to feel emptiness, and I felt it was difficult to proceed. So, I asked my master what I needed to do. Then he taught me that I should have faith, so I decided that I would make an attempt to practice bhakti yoga. That’s how I made the shift.

The Image of God

I did not necessarily have faith, and I rather had resistance toward the word “God” that is generally used in religions. And, I had an image of God, which I am going to speak about now, of what I felt God might be like if God existed. Around the time I encountered Yoga, I was living in Brooklyn, New York, and since the buildings lining the area were relatively low, from the top of the building where I lived I could see the sky all around, as far as the eye could see. In those days, I got hooked on watching the sun rise, so I woke up every morning before sunrise just because I wanted to see this glorious beauty. From right before the time that the sun started rising, little by little, the color of the sky would change to purple and red, and the expression would change from moment to moment. And, as the dazzling golden light gradually grew from a small dot, the sky became brighter and bluer, and it felt like the whole sky was rejoicing. A spectacle that a human being can never paint—there is a great power at work here that transcends human understanding; I was thinking that if there is the existence of God, It must be the great existence that is behind such great nature, or behind the universe. Because of that, when I came to know about bhakti yoga, I could not connect the existences that have human forms, such as Saints, or a Personified God, and my image of God. I mentioned this to my master, then he said that I would be able to understand that little by little, and also, he often taught me that the Saints who realized God are One with God.

The Application of the Continuous Practice of Bhakti

In the meditation using discrimination, I was trying to eliminate the emotional disturbances that cause the stirrings of the mind; so I had no clue at all how I could actually practice bhakti using my emotions, so I asked my master. He then taught me the following:

There is a natural emotion of “liking”—“[I] like,” or “[I] love”—you should heighten this feeling. In bhakti, this becomes absolute longing, this love purifies more and more. The more you proceed with it, simultaneously, the more the mind becomes purified. At that point, love is becoming a different kind of love entirely, Love Itself, which is completely different from the emotion that the mind usually produces, or from the quality of the general emotion.

So, first I decided to seek for the object that I long for. I read the episodes of many Saints, read the mythology of personified gods, and I found all of them attractive. However, when I looked at them trying to consider who would be the most attractive Saint, then I came to realize that I’ve been most attracted to my master, whom I felt was closest to me and the cause for my starting Yoga. If you don’t know my master, Shri Mahayogi, I am sorry to speak about him, but I feel that just by being close to my master, the condition of my mind is affected, my mind automatically calms down and joy springs up from within. And as I spoke about last time, my master knows everything about Buddha, and he knows why the mind suffers, its mechanism, and the truth of this world, and the state of Satori that is beyond the mind and the world, he knows everything and anything. And, in every answer to any question, I feel a profound wisdom that far exceeds my expectations. He treats everyone equally with a loving expression, and it is he, he who is sitting in the most perfect and beautiful siddhasana I’ve ever seen, that I was the closest to and that I admired. To practice meditation on the master as the object of meditation is an authentic way of meditation that has been passed down from olden times as well, so naturally the object of my meditation was decided to be my master.

The next step is developing the feeling of longing. If I express my feeling toward my master in one word, it is just like when I look at the sky during sunrise—“Wow…that’s amazing!”—it’s an admiration toward something sublime, and it feels to me that the feeling of respect naturally springs forth. Although there was a gap between the great existence behind his great nature and the appearance of his limited human form, there was the same feeling of admiration.

What I worked on to heighten that feeling was actually very simple—I meditated on the figure of my master which I chose from a photo of him that I felt to be “cool.”

And, I also wanted to nurture that feeling without forgetting it, so I also continuously practiced carrying that photo with me always. I know that Ramakrishna’s disciples always carried the photo of their master on them, and I thought that they probably did so to not let themselves get lost on the path no matter what, and to nurture their faith, working to not forget their master—so I emulated that. I looked at the photo of my master when I had time during a break too, and I continued to practice that way so that I could heighten that feeling without forgetting it.

When I practiced meditation, there were times that I closed my eyes and conjured up the image of my master, yet basically I sat with open eyes, looking at the photo of my master, and concentrated on it. When I meditated on Buddha, I proceeded continuously concentrating on the essence of Buddha rather than the form of Buddha, but this time, I brought my focus to the feeling of admiration. That is, both during the meditation and during daily life, I always took the approach to develop the feeling of admiration. As I continued this discipline, gradually, that feeling began to grow and expand. Then the feeling of admiration became joy, and I felt like each cell within me was filled with that joy. When I entered into that mood, no matter how tired my body was, all at once, the tiredness disappeared and joy ran through my body.

Since the feeling of admiration and the object of admiration are two sides of the same coin, when the feeling of admiration grew, the concentration on the object was carried out naturally, and I think that I touched the heart of my master, even if only slightly. I mentioned earlier that when being close to my master, my mind is being affected by him and my mind calms down and joy springs out from within; I think that by having my mind being dyed in the condition of my master’s mind, I was feeling the joy within. Even when I was looking at a photo of him, it felt like I was not looking at it, even though I was looking at it, but that even though there was a form, what I was tasting was one part alone, which is the heart. In my case, my situation happened to be that such an existence was close to me, so it was easier to practice it, but I believe that the same thing would happen if you meditate on any saint, and that the meditator will come to touch the heart of that Saint.

And, it might sound strange, but if there was an issue that stuck in my mind even slightly, there were times that infallible answers came. Since these answers are not derived from my own memory, but these are the universal answers that intuitively come from Truth, if I took action according to that guidance, everything would go smoothly. Since the hearts of the Saints who have realized the Truth are filled with the Truth, the answers derived from them are the Truth Itself.

There may be people who feel Truth is vague. For example, in Yoga, as a way of acting in accordance with the Truth, the items of yama and niyama are taught. They are: you must not injure others; you must not tell a lie; you must not steal; you must not be greedy. These Truths are the contents that anyone can make sense of in the depths of the mind, and as we act in accordance with them, we should naturally be able to live harmoniously. Until I practiced this bhakti, I felt like I was checking each item while paying attention to it, whereas when I became able to grasp the Truth directly, I felt like all the items were getting conditioned naturally. That means that by touching the heart of the Saint who realized the Truth, my actions naturally have come to be in accordance with the Truth. Of course, the quality [of my actions in relation to these] is, however, still far from a perfect state.

Expanding Bhakti

In actuality, while I continued such disciplines of practice for some years, I’ve gone through many twists and turns, such that there were times that my ego and pride came out, and so I started over from the beginning. Even so, as I continued to meditate this way, I came to feel this expansion of bhakti not only within my body but in everything I see outside. My master has taught me that, “All things in this world are manifestations of the One, God. The unchangeable One Existence becomes various forms”—by expanding what I was feeling to everything outside, I felt like I came to be able to understand this teaching little by little. Feeling that One Existence is manifesting in everything and anything—when I feel that, at those times, the word “Existence” is the closest word to me, more than the word “Master” or “God.”

Now I feel that the distance of the Great Existence behind the universe that I sensed as I watched the sky as the sun was rising, has been shortened and I can grasp it more closely.

I am able to think that, compared to this Great Existence, my ego is truly so tiny and is of no significance, and my sufferings caused by the ego have lessened.

It is said that God and the Truth exist within everyone. [But] the mind forgets this fact and is caught up in the suffering. Therefore, everyone has the working of the mind to return to the origin, to God or Truth, to return to the state of Bliss—I think that precisely this is bhakti. I hope what I spoke about today will be of some help to you.

Teachings of Shri Mahayogi

Testimonies from Actual Practitioners