AWARENESS OF THE PURPOSE ( ધ્યેયની જાગૃતિ )

Kumbhakonam
28/8/1952
                                                                        Hari Om

There will always be subtle and gross attacks whenever a definite and firm decision is made to carry out certain work. If we are aware that theses attacks come to sway us from our firm decision, then we are on much better footing and are able to fend it off. We can then maintain our firmness and not sway from the course. By the grace of God, if we maintain this awareness of our aim and purpose of life at all times, then the quality of sadhana is at best.

Pujya Shree Mota
Jivan pravesh (જીવન પ્રવેશ )
Edition 2; page 112.

WAYS TO MAINTAIN MENTAL PEACE

It is not proper for us to wish or insist on always having our way. We want to live according to God's wishes. In that case we must welcome and use all the incidences ( that arise from variety of causes ) to dismantle our ego, insistences, understanding and old habits. This is what means when we say" every incident is a form of a guru". We must develop the inner eye to evaluate the value and place of these incidents in development of our lives. Only then we will not have the inclination to judge the propriety of the actions of others in ordinary worldly affairs. To expect anything else from others, shows our own ignorance. It is definitely not possible for them to have the same understanding of standard and purpose of life like us. We must reject to take part in any action that obstructs our path of development and causes disturbances in the mind. Separate your self. Remind your mind that it is not proper for it to think in this way. If we continue to remind ourselves this, at every encounter and incident with others, then you will not have the opportunity to get uneasy and unhappy. We will not think about the just or unjust actions of others. The only way we need to evaluate and think (about incidents ) is whether it helps in progress and development of our lives or not. We must reject any other way of evaluations with our heart.

Pujya Shree Mota
Jivan Sopan ( જીવન સોપાન )
Edition 3; pages 192-193.

INFALLIBLE SUPPORT OF GURU

Kumbhakonam,
3/4/1952.

                                                                     HARI OM

Your ' Mota ' is always behind your back, whenever you face indecision or have struggle in your mind. He wants to live within you. Invoke him by praying with humility and distress in your heart and experience the grace and help that you receive from him. Once you experience this grace and help, you will never feel lonely, helpless or without any support. All these feelings will evaporate. By the grace of God it is possible to increase the faith in others through you. You think about the inspiration that you can be to others, in helping to make progress in their lives. Be worry less and happy.

Pujya Shree Mota,
Jivan Sopan ( જીવન સોપાન ),
Edition 3: page 190.

My two cents ---

This letter is addressed to a woman devotee in duress.

Ashwin

ANTICS OF THE MIND

Karachi,
23/3/1940.


Dear Bhai,

Mind will have thousand excuses if it does not want to do things in its own way. It will find very skillful, intelligent and palatable arguments in it's favor so as to be very convincing. It is not easy to identify the ripples and whims of the mind. You will know mind's play if it is examined with mindfulness ( જાગૃતિ ). You do whatever is in your mind but do not accept the premise that you are doing it, but not because it is in your mind. Otherwise you will be cheated and your mind will have a free ride in the darkness ( without your scrutiny and mindfulness ). It is essential that you get rid of all kinds of hesitation, shyness and feeling of shame. Mind needs to be taught these important lessons.

                       Get rid of established and deep rooted measures of mind
                       -----------------------------------------------------------------------
You must get rid of your established insistences, viewpoints and present understanding of your thoughts. At first you will have to let go your thoughtfully established ideology of right and wrong. The reason being your different level of understanding of these thoughts at this time. To let go family is easier than letting go of these established beliefs and standards.

Pujya Shree Mota
Jivan pagaran (જીવન પગરણ )
Edition 3; page 100-101.


My two cents,
                        This letter apparently is addressed to a sadhak at a much higher level of consciousness.

                                                                                                                                 Ashwin

DO NOT LOOSE BALANCE OF MIND

Karachi,
12/3/1940.


Dear Bhai,

It is true that you should not let the feeling of sadness or happiness touch your mind. But it needs to be done with clear understanding of mind. You should make a mindful effort to cover both sides of this issue. By the grace of God, this training of making repeated efforts in this direction, springs the state of equanimity. Always keep in mind to maintain the balance of mind at every moment in your work. You must also attempt to remove the natural tendencies of mind like uneasiness, hurry, confusion, disorder, dumbfound, restlessness and impatience. These tendencies tend to get hold of mind and you must make an effort to remove it. It is good that you experience, understand and are aware of these tendencies.  Constant practice and effort is the mainstay and if you keep this in mind, these tendencies can be controlled.


Pujya Shreee Mota
Jivan pagaran ( જીવન પગરણ )
Edition 3; page 98.

MIND SHOULD BE COMPOSED EVEN IN DISORDER

Karachi,
12/3/1940.


Dear Bhai,

I came to know that you have interest and liking for the following items ;
     
1) Orderly arrangement in home.
2) Cleanliness.
3) Perseverance and precision -- even in the smallest aspect of life.
4) Keeping accurate account of money at home.
5) Frugality in both, money and time.

There is nothing wrong with these interests. But you should be prepared to carry on, even if you have to live in opposite situations without loosing the composure of your mind. This composure ( quietude ) should be maintained in order and disorder both. Same should be for cleanliness. You should be prepared to maintain this composure of the mind even if you have to live in a filthy place.

                     Need for non-insistence ( absence of stubbornness ) in your nature
                    ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Exactness and accuracy in accounts is good but not to the extent of being a stickler. Keeping account of money and frugality is good. But you should be mindful and should not have any uneasiness in your mind spending some money at times ( even if you think it is not necessary or unwarranted ). Do not insist that things have to be done in certain way. You have to train your mind to keep it's balance and peace, even if at times things happen in a different way.


Pujya Shree Mota
Jivan pagaran ( જીવન પગરણ )
Edition 3; pages 95-96.

DETERMINE THE AIM OF LIFE FIRST

Ashram, Sabarmati,
13 Jan, 1940.

Dear Bhai,

It is my earnest recommendation that if it is feasible, you should postpone the japa-yagna that you have started, at the present time. For now try to understand the whims of the mind with complete mindfulness and also have clearer understanding in your heart regarding life's inclinations and aim. Contemplate continuously regarding this and come to complete understanding  and agreement with your mind. If you have any doubts in your mind then settle the issue with love. Try to understand where does meaning and mystery of life lie. You as a businessman take thoughtful steps, only after considering profit-loss or win-defeat ( although there is nothing like profit- loss or win-defeat in this ).

If you start japa-yagna at the present time, you will not be able to maintain the level of equanimity that you need to throughly contemplate on all these issues. So it is my heartfelt wish that you spend your time in the contemplation of  your aim in life and analyze the thoughts in your mind. Keep churning and repeating the same. Be witness to all these thoughts and emotions that arise in your mind. Then throughly analyze the witnessed ( thoughts and emotions ) and learn to extract the meaning of all this.

                                              Mind is deceiving
                                            -------------------------
Mind does not let us peel its various layers and understand it. You can understand its real nature by going above it and peeling it's layers. You will realize the difficulties and its complicated nature only when you experience it. If some body says : " there is no difficulty or struggle in this process " then I will say : " he has not made enough effort or has not done enough contemplation ". Something must come up in this process of churning of mind and heart. With constant mindfulness we should offer adverse and hostile items at the feet of God and good can be used to develop our life constructively and use it to progress in sadhana. In the end hostile or good, both need to be offered to God and we should always be empty of our burden.


Pujya Shree Mota
Jivan pagaran ( જીવન પગરણ )
Edition 3; pages 21-22.

WAYS TO CONQUER LIFE'S STRUGGLES.

Trichi,
10/21/1946

Life is one kind of constant war. Human beings are always in the state of war, with or without their desire for it. Conflicts will always be there, whether they wish or not. Human life is based on the principle of duality so conflicts are the facts of life. But this war or conflicts are of human nature and are at the level of prakruti ( પ્રકૃતિ ). One can progress in the realm of prakruti with great effort but this progress becomes the cause of ignorance. Every soul experiences various kind of conflicts but the mind is always tied to duality. Because of this, the progress is always at the level of prakruti and duality. For achieving higher level of consciousness, one should not act according to the natural tendencies and whims of mind. One should develop impartiality and consider these conflicts as an invaluable opportunity to train the mind and develop equanimity. Only then the soul progresses to higher level of consciousness. Otherwise one will always be at the level of duality. One will always have ups and downs in one's progress in prakruti  and one will play this game of ups and downs for eternity, without raising the level of consciousness.


Pujya Shree Mota
Jivan pravesh (જીવન પ્રવેશ )
Edition 2; pages 188-189.

ONE WHO LEARNS FROM LIFE'S INCIDENTS IS SADHAK

Kumbhakonam,
29 July, 1952.

Sadhak has to think about the kind of life he wants to live. He must also evaluate the effects of various life's occurrences and incidents, on his ability to live his chosen way of life. This evaluation needs to be done with impartiality, equanimity, peacefully, patiently and with sense of discretion. If sadhak behaves and acts after thorough evaluation of incidents in this way, then these incidents can take the form of " guru ". Life incidents teach us a lot. If the inner eye is open, new understanding of these events take place. It also lays bare our own nature. It shows our mistakes and ways to correct it and also to take first steps towards correcting it. You are also able to differentiate good and bad aspects of mind, prana etc. In this fashion life's  incidents are the first steps and I have considered it a " guru" several times. True sadhak is the one who understands, gets forewarned and learns to open his inner eye from these incidents in real life.

Pujya Shree Mota
Jivan pravesh; ( જીવન પ્રવેશ )
Edition 2, page 96.

DHYAN ( MEDITATION, ધ્યાન ), WHOSE, WHY AND HOW. ( 5 )

Conversations with Pujya Shree Mota on dhyan
------------------------------------------------------------

Q:  Is it possible to enter into dhyan while doing japa? What should we do at that time? What is after dhyan? Please explain all these to us.

Shree Mota:  Yes, it is feasible to enter into dhyan while doing japa. But do not give much importance to continuing japa at that time. Japa will help you to enter in dhyan. Just as a small scarf that you wear flies away naturally with the gust of wind, japa will fade away once you get engrossed into dhyan. You may not be aware when japa stops and you need not pay any attention to that. Your attention is to be directed  to experience inner consciousness and that is achieved only when you get completely absorbed into dhyan. And again do not have any expectations. Just experience whatever happens with happiness. The feeling of whirling around ( ઘૂમરી ) that you experience after finishing dhyan, needs to be used to increase and deepen the spirit of japa in your heart. This is the profit and must be used to increase the capital. Whenever you are not in dhyan, stick to japa. Moreover, you should have increased love and affection in japa, especially pronouncing Hari when you recite Hari Om as japa.


Q:  How do we get rid of recurrent thought in dhyan?

Shree Mota:  You can do this either by making a note of the thought or by finishing the work thus removing the cause of the thought.


Q:  Can you shed some light on " blankness or thoughtlessness " that happen during dhyan?

Shree Mota:  Blankness is a condition that can be experienced in dhyan and also by restraining and training of the mind. If you experience this kind of blankness and then enter into dhyan, it (dhyan) is always of excellent quality.


Q:  When we sit in dhyan for a longer period of time, body or back hurts. Can we change the position of the body?

Shree Mota:  Do not keep changing the position of the body during the period of dhyan. If you do not feel well, rest and then sit in dhyan. You can also do it while lying down with legs crossed or by touching big toes with legs in straight position. No matter what you do, it needs to be done with some definite plan.


Pujya Shree Mota
Shree Mota ni dhyan avastha and dhyan
Edition 2; page 29-30.

DHYAN ( MEDITATION, ધ્યાન ), WHOSE, WHY AND HOW.( 4 )

Conversations with Pujya Shree Mota on dhyan
-------------------------------------------------------------

Q :  Mota ! What is the main purpose of dhyan?

Shree Mota :  Dhyan is done to find inner being ( soul ), to be introspective, to develop spirit of surrender, to develop blankness or quietude of the mind  and to be one with divine consciousness.


Q : How do we actually start dhyan?

Shree Mota :  Quiet ( calm and clear ) the mind first, be attentive and if you wish, do japa for a short period of time and then start the dhyan. Do not change the process of dhyan frequently.
Concentrate on your heart centre and at the same time observe the mind in the area between the eyebrows or focus your mental vision on the tip of your nose. In both cases concentration has to on heart center. Thoughts will be less with this.


Q :  Where is the place to concentrate on heart center ? Do you mean physical heart ?

Shree Mota :  No. Not on your physical heart. The heart center is in the middle of chest where there is a slight depression. That area is a part of subtle heart and concentrate on that area.


Q :  Is it objectionable to have good and happy thoughts during dhyan?

Shree Mota :  It is not proper to have good or bad thoughts during dhyan. The aim here is to develop spirit of concentration. When dhyan is done with concentration, then deep absorption in dhyan develops. It leads to keen interest in dhyan and then it reaches its ultimate depth and stabilizes there. This stability will not be dull but full of vitality.


Q :  What should be done if we get half-sleepy or sleepy during dhyan?

Shree Mota :  Splash some water on your face. Immerse your eyes in clean water. Sit in dhyan after that.


Q :  Does breathing gets slower during dhyan?

Shree Mota :  Yes. Breathing does get slower naturally and in the end it becomes imperceptible.


Q :  Can prayer be done during dhyan?

Shree Mota :  Time for dhyan is only for dhyan. We must stick to the spirit of any tool that we practice. Do not mix one with other.


Q :  When will we know our mistakes?

Shree Mota :  One who tries,  gets to know one's mistakes right away. Only grace of God can correct these mistakes appropriately.
                                              ( continued )


Pujya Shree Mota
Shree Mota ni dhyan avastha and dhyan
Edition 2: page 28-29.

DHYAN ( MEDITATION, ધ્યાન ), WHOSE, WHY AND HOW. ( 3 )

Dhyan on God with form ( સાકાર ) is easier ---
------------------------------------------------------

It is harder to comprehend formless ( નિરાકાર ) nature of God as long as we are in ordinary human existence. To comprehend God with form is easier. For this reason we should constantly be aware of our goal and ideal that we aspire for in this life. After that try to merge ( be one with ) with satguru's heart by keeping your whole attention focused on it , with knowledge, love and devotion. Prayer is also a kind of dhyan on formless nature of God.


Sleepiness ( half-sleep, તંદ્રા ) and concentration in dhyan ---
-----------------------------------------------------------------------

Some people get sleepy and then sleep while in dhyan. This is a sign of lethargy and inertia. One becomes fresh and energetic, if dhyan is done with concentration and in lively manner. Body also has a feeling of lightness. Mind stops being indecisive for a time being, due to the strong effect of concentration that is produced by dhyan. As soon as sleepiness is produced during dhyan, we should shake off this sleepiness by being alert and conscious internally. This is a dangerous obstacle in dhyan. One can be aware of being in sleep but this half-sleep produces illusion and sadhak has a feeling of being in deep dhyan. Concentration during dhyan produces tremendous joyous feeling and freshness. Such characteristics differentiate concentration during dhyan from half-sleep.


True dhyan ---
---------------

Number of hours is not a true measure of dhyan or any other tool that you may practice. The true measure is lively expression of aspiration in daily activities of life from practice of such tools. The other measures are increasing aspiration for the God and love for satguru. Our aim and importance should always be towards increasing these true measures and that itself is true dhyan. If our natural tendencies ( વૃત્તિ ) are always virtuous and focused towards God, then you may not need to sit in that kind of dhyan.

Tools like japa, vrat, rituals, dhyan, true knowledge and devotion are used to turn our natural tendencies and aspiration towards God. So please do not mention number of hours as a guide to your progress. To take this further, our whole life should be an expression of the spirit of prayer. At that time prayer is not mere words. Life becomes a continuos prayer of thought, speech and behavior just like the process of breathing, then dhyan or samadhi becomes effortless.
                                   ( continued )


Pujya Shree Mota
Shree mota ni dhyan avastha and dhyan
Edition 2; pages 25-27.
                                      

DHYAN ( MEDITATION, ધ્યાન ), WHOSE, WHY AND HOW. ( 2 )

Benefits of dhyan —
----------------------

To be concentrated and centered is one benefit of dhyan. It also leads to peace, stability, equanimity and joyous feeling. People sit down for dhyan for 30-40 minutes and think that is the end point. But this is not appropriate. To maintain a kind of continuity in dhyan, we must express the result of dhyan in our daily lives. More over if we express the spirit of aspiration ( that arise from dhyan ) in our lives with awareness, it also helps to maintain the continuity of dhyan. To experience "nothingness with highest aspiration" requires continuous good hearted practice for long period of time.


Haphazard action will not suffice —
-------------------------------------------

It does not help if we use a tool for sadhana for certain amount of time and then act in haphazard fashion for rest of the time. This kind of behavior produces a serious defect in aspiration. If this is happening then  there is no possibility of engrossing  in dhyan at all.

When in dhyan maintain the spirit of remembrance ( સ્મરણ ભાવના ) as long as it lasts. Let it go if you get engrossed ( લીનતા ) in dhyan. It is very necessary to be aware of the aspirations in your heart at this time even if you get engrossed in dhyan.


Good use of emotions ---
----------------------------

It is natural to have the occasional emotional urge to write a poem in dhyan. If this happens then you should make full use of this emotion and use this emotion to increase your concentration on your heart. If you have the urge to write a poem, do not leave dhyan and start writing a poem. You may write this poem after finishing dhyan if you remember it, but never during dhyan.


Engrossing in dhyan ---
--------------------------

We can become oblivious of our selves and our surroundings in dhyan but if we can not maintain the equanimity ( તટસ્થતા ) at that time, then we get stuck in the same emotions and thoughts that prevailed at that time. This prevents further progress.

To get engrossed in dhyan our heart needs to be simple,worry free and without any opposing qualities. To achieve this we must continue to train various tendencies of the mind in our daily lives with true knowledge.
                                                       ( continued )



Pujya Shree Mota
Shri Mota ni dhyan avastha and dhyan
Edition 2; pages 22-23.

DHYAN ( MEDITATION, ધ્યાન ), WHOSE, WHY AND HOW. ( 1 )

Next few blogs on dhyan are translated from a book " Shree Mota ni dhyan avastha and dhyan "  This book is a compilation of excerpts from letters written by Pujya Shree Mota to Sadhaks, and previously published in his various books like Jivan pagaran, Jivan prerana, Jivan pagathi, Jivan sansodhan etc.
                                             -----------------------------------------------------------

Dhyan is one of the tools to develop and keep alive the spirit of efforts for the advancement of life. Concentration on one thought process is also called dhyan. One purpose of dhyan is to silence ( નીરવતા ) the mind. The other purpose is to maintain this silence while performing  our daily works, and eventually to develop such capability as to performing these works without any effort to maintain this silence.

Now a days everybody sits down for dhyan with closed eyes. Just as we need capital to start the business, it is essential to have some training of the mind to concentrate. Without this training of concentration, dhyan is not possible.

It is of utmost importance to have fixed time and place. Even more important is to have a fixed and continuous, concentrated mental attitude.

Whatever thought comes in your mind offer it to God with love and devotion. This continuous offering of thoughts is also a kind of dhyan. One can also concentrate and be centered on sat-guru's heart. Dhyan can also be on nothingness (શૂન્યત્વ) also. But this nothingness can not be dry and devoid of any purpose. Mysterious and deep purpose pervades this kind of dhyan.

If you have uncontrollable thoughts then you should not start dhyan. Make an effort to calm the mind. Try to concentrate first on your heart and then be centered. At the same time try to elevate consciousness by remembering Him while keeping joyous attitude ( aspiration for Him ).

While doing japa ( chanting-remember ) devotion and love sprouts in your mind and when this becomes continuous, you get completely absorbed in dhyan. Dhyan then reaches to its maximum height and in the end you experience various sides of ultimate truth.

Keep practicing even if you have lots of thoughts and may not experience complete concentration for a while. If you practice for a long time with patience, then one day divine will express itself in the practice and then you will have control over your thoughts. We should have complete faith and heart in the practice of any tool and there should be unbroken continuity in the practice. Concentrate on the center between your eyebrows to stop the thoughts. Concentrate on your heart center to increase love, devotion and good qualities. Instead of paying attention to stop the thoughts, let the thoughts pass by. Our attention and focus needs to be on increasing concentration and to be centered on the heart center.
                                                                                                      
                                                                                                   ( continued )


Pujya Shree Mota
Shree Mota ni dhyan avastha and dhyan ( શ્રીમોટાની ધ્યાનાવસ્થા અને ધ્યાન )
Edition 2; pages 21 - 24.

SELF CONTROL ( સંયમ ) ( part-3 )

                                                        Self control of emotions
                                                        ------------------------------

It is very necessary to have self control over emotions if one wants to maintain awakened sense of discretion ( વિવેક શક્તિ ) in one's life. Emotions loose its strength if it is expressed according to one's desires and is useless in our work of self development. Sometimes this uncontrolled emotions can make one's life miserable and unbearable. At times these emotions can be very pleasurable and then one is swept away in this flood of happy emotions. But the knowledge and awareness  that this ( being swept away in happy or sad emotions ) is not our goal, does not occur without this sense of discretion.

These emotions are useful in our life only if we strengthen them by self control. Before training our emotions, we need to develop the habit of turning them into appropriate work and activity. It is not possible to train life energy like emotions without containing them. It is essential to contain the emotion before we train them. Self control is the containment of these emotions.

Emotions is a divine energy that initiates, warns and increases our strength in life experiences ( if used in right manner ). This short lived flow of emotions produces increasing sense of purpose ( bhaavna, ભાવના ) and that in turn gets stronger and stronger. In this fashion emotions are at the root of bhaavna. Flow of emotions that arise out of purity is always well directed and only that can strengthen the real sense of purpose.

We get divine energy without much effort if we can keep continuous awareness ( with knowledge ), when emotions arise from incidents that we hear, see or experience in our life.


Pujya Shree Mota
Jivan murm (જીવન મર્મ )
Edition 1; pages 27-29.
                          

SELF CONTROL ( સંયમ ) ( part-2 )

The main purpose of self control is to bring and express balance in all activities of life. Only self control can train all senses to act properly, all the time. Our senses like things that are harmful from a spiritual point of view. We get attracted to these harmful things knowingly or unknowingly. It is the sense of discretion in self control, that does the hard and delicate work of turning the senses to goodness and good purpose. Life is delicate and sensitive, and needs to be worked on tenderly. It cannot tolerate harsh treatment. If it is done without the cooperation of the senses, and with force, then life can snap and life force may be wasted. We must always keep in mind not to lose a sense of discretion while we train ourselves to develop the spirit of self control in our lives. You should know that spirit of self control is being fulfilled when (1) goodness is expressed and experienced from training of self control ( with true knowledge ).  (2) you experience the best kind of interests and skills.

It is important to see that this self control is not used in excess, even though we have accepted it as our protector in life. Just as ignoring this self control is life destructive, an excess of it without proper understanding can also be detrimental to life. In simple words, self control means a boundary or limitation of our purposeful conduct toward other souls in our life. One needs this kind of boundary if one is going to behave with others and one's self in a similar fashion. One can not go out of this limit and behave similarly towards others. This limitation is necessary, not only for saints but also for everyone who is trying to develop spiritually.              
                                                                                                              ( continued )

Pujya Shree Mota
Jivan murm; ( જીવન મર્મ )
Edition 1; page 25-26.

SELF CONTROL ( સંયમ ) ( part-1 )

                                                              HARI OM

Karachi, 1939

I wrote to you about silence in my last letter. When you follow silence with devotion, self control becomes effortless. At the same time, the inner workings and uniqueness of this self control become self evident. At present, there is some kind of disgust at the very mention of self control. May be it is from our parents or our educational system. We have this uncomfortable feeling  towards the very mention of self control. There should be natural importance given to self control in life, but presently it is exactly reversed. My intention is not to scare you by writing about self control. The meaning of self control is quite different in my mind and understanding. I am not sure if you will like it or not, but it is my wish that you have some understanding of it. I am writing all this because you have shown eagerness and curiosity to know something new.

Just as you need a covering of skin to protect and increase life sustaining elements in the body, it is absolutely necessary to have the covering of self control ( with true knowledge ) to protect the developing inner life. Our soul, protected by spirited inner self control of senses, becomes our true friend. Without this protection, the soul gets surrounded by many layers of this worldly affairs and then falls into darkness. The soul, that has this protection of self control, increases its brightness and life becomes pleasant in all aspects.

Self control is the wall of external behavior created to protect one's life in all aspects.
                                                                                                                                      
                                                                                                                                      ( continued )
Pujya Shree Mota
Jivan murm ( જીવન મર્મ )
Edition 1; page 24-25.

MIND AND NAAM-SMARAN ( નામસ્મરણ )

Naam-smaran is the best instrument to nudge the mind out of its beaten track.  If naam-smaran is added to the thoughts in the mind , then it will definitely reduce the force, effect and impressions of those thoughts in the mind and also will change the final outcome of those thoughts. This needs to be done at that instant, with utmost sincerity of mind and heart. When some antidote is added to poison,  it looses its potency and becomes less effective and that may give different result than without this antidote. Similarly we can be free from the  clutches of worldly affairs, if we add lively naam-smaran to all the activities of mind and by the mind (with understanding and bhaavna ). One can not be free from anything without changing the nature of the mind. For this reason, all religions of the world give so much importance to training of the mind.


Pujya Shree Mota
Naam-smaran ( નામસ્મરણ )
Edition 1; page 53.

SUBLIMATION OF EGO

                                                            Hari om
23 July, 1941.

Dear Bhai,

We need to lend tremendous blows to our ego for it's sublimation in a sattvic ( સાત્વિક ) form. To accomplish this, you should lovingly meet people that you do not like, perform their tasks and try to gain their love. You should definitely embrace people that you abhor, and that also with enthusiasm and love in your heart and mind. Never hate a person and his natural tendencies ( વૃિત્ત ), even if you consider it to be bad. In fact, if confronted with such an incident, you should think of such an incident, as an opportunity and a tool to improve your own habits. All these needs to be done with love in your heart, equanimity and compassion. In this way our whole life is yoga. We should offer all our works to God with love, knowledge and without any attachments.




Pujya Shree Mota
Jivan pagathi ( જીવન પગથી )
Edition 6; page 70.

LIVE IN PRESENT

Only present is important. Past and future depends upon the way we live in present. Past and future are affected by the purpose, knowledge and intent ( Bhaavna, ભાવના ) of living in present. The soul that continuously makes an effort in present, to fulfill its goal of development, is always relaxed and free from worries about the future. That soul lives in present with all its heart. He uses all of his energy to live in present ( in all aspect and with clear intent ) with knowledge and devotion. Past and future can not distract this kind of soul from its final aim. The soul that toils in this fashion ( lives in present ) has a feeling of non existence of past and future ( even though it exists ). He experiences as if the present contains both, the past and the future. Keys to the future lies in the art of living in present.


Pujya Shree Mota
Jivan pagathi, ( જીવન પગથી )
Edition 6; preface, page 12-13.

IMPORTANCE OF ANUSTHAN ( COMMENCEMENT OF AN UNDERTAKING, અનુષ્ઠાન ) ( 5 )

To day's blog concludes the writings on anusthan.

( continued )


It is possible to have another question like " how can the impressions of a saint, express and benefit the soul, when it ( soul ) keeps on adding worldly impressions, as a result of karma and fate?" These worldly impressions gets stronger and more powerful over a period of time. With deeper analysis it becomes apparent, that the present contact with the saint is a result of his past association according to karma and fate. So he has achieved at least that much of a qualification in some mysterious way. This contact will definitely be fruitful, since it is the result of past favorable circumstances. It may appear that he is living his life, in old routine way. But because of this contact, there will definitely be some stirring of movements deep in his mind. This may be small and insignificant at the time. It is also inappropriate to believe, that this undeveloped soul does not make any effort for development of his life. He may live his life according to effects and impressions from his karma and fate. He will also act in a similar fashion, to the higher impressions from a saint to some degree. These higher impressions will get stronger with saint's blessing and anusthan. These new impressions from the saint, unlike old karma and fate impressions, will not go to waste. In effect, two opposing kind of impressions are registered on his mind. Impressions from the saint are definitely stronger than that of karma and fate. This is not some kind of imaginary tale. It is based on true incident and can be explained and supported by higher intelligence.

Worldly impressions are full of infatuations, jealousy, sex and anger and it has deep attachment. Soul with these impressions, may be attracted to the saint. In return, he will always receive higher impressions without any attachments, from the saint. This is because the saint does not have any attachments. Life of the saint is full of greatness, brilliance, vitality and God's energy. It is so powerful that once soul is attracted towards him, the saint will remove the force behind the soul's attachments to worldly impressions. And at appropriate time, will make his own impressions manifest in soul's life.

In this fashion, tale of anusthan is a subject of only experience.


Pujya Shree Mota
Jivan sandesh ( જીવન સંદેશ )
Edition 3; page 94-95.

IMPORTANCE OF ANUSTHAN ( COMMENCEMENT OF AN UNDERTAKING, અનુષ્ઠાન ) (4)

( continued )

One may ask " Is this closeness to the saint futile and useless if transformation of the soul does not occur". Effects of this closeness always leaves impressions ( સંસ્કાર ) on psyche ( ચિત્ત ), just like the ordinary worldly experiences do. These impressions from the saint will definitely express itself in future. At the present time, the force of the impressions from karma and fate is very strong and he follows these, due to ignorance. Because of this, impressions of the saint lays dormant in the psyche and does not express itself, at this particular time. Just as the spirit of God is omnipresent and yet we do not feel it's effect, the impressions from the saint also lays dormant, without any effect at the time.

If he makes a lively effort with mindfulness and knowledge, then these impressions left from the closeness of the saint will manifest and definitely act as a great inspirations for him. He will gain some benefit, even if he finds himself being swept in the currents and forces of karma and fate. His understanding of the events in life gets clearer, and he learns to differentiate between higher and lower quality of life. He may not be able to act on these, but this will be definitely expressed in his understanding and higher intelligence. At the least, these impressions from the saint will easily be expressed in his next life. So these closeness of the saint will be beneficial to him, one way or the other.

When and how to take advantage of this, is up to us.

Pujya Shree Mota

Jivan darshan ( જીવન દર્શન )

Edition 3: page 93.

                                                                                           ( continued )

IMPORTANCE OF ANUSTHAN ( COMMENCEMENT OF AN UNDERTAKING, અનુષ્ઠાન ) (3)

 (  Continued )

Because of this oneness, when time comes, he can be as merciless as he was with himself, during his own development. Again he may not be as merciless with everybody. Since he knows his connection ( as to karma and fate ) with that particular sadhak, he will act only for the benefit of that sadhak, when appropriate time comes. In the beginning sadhak may not understand this kind of behavior from a saint. He may get angry at him or think inappropriately about him. This only hurts sadhak. If he thinks and understands appropriately about him ( saint ), he would realize that this only delays his own well being  and gets him in trouble, that could have been avoided. These troubles are not only of one kind and can be varied. One cannot make earthen vessel without beating on it, one cannot learn to do business without setbacks or a child cannot learn without following parents rules. This process is similar.

A saint will never leave sadhak, if anusthan is established with his ( sadhak ) consent. It does not matter even if it is done with false understanding or to enhance his own interest. A saint will not hesitate to work on him, even if it is painful and unpleasant. Sadhak will be tormented and distressed, if he believes that the process of development as painful and unpleasant. Saint will not sit by idly when the energy is not used as per his directive, and is misused by sadhak. This energy will affect the sadhak irrespective of his mental status and attitude. He may not get the complete benefit, if he is not up to the task, at the same time, he is not going to loose anything. Sadhak will be at a great disadvantage if he fails to take advantage of the saint's association. If sadhak does not keep favorable attitude in his own development, and in effect opposes the saint in a subtle fashion, then he may get into all sorts of trouble. He may even have a breakdown and may not be able to bear this hopelessness. The saint will suffer and bear all these, according to his association with the fate and karma of the sadhak, since his only interest is in the development and well being of sadhak's life. In a detached manner, he makes variety of efforts to sublimate the nature, psyche, mind, and past impressions of sadhak. Sadhak will develop ( in a sattvic manner, સાત્વિક ) much faster if his life is interwoven with saint's and he keeps favorable attitude, surrenders completely and is always aware of the purpose with heartfelt love.

In this way anusthan of saint and sadhak is uniquely important.

                                                                                                                 ( continued )


Pujya Shree Mota
Jivan darshan ( જીવન દર્શન )
Edition 3; pages 91-92.

IMPORTANCE OF ANUSTHAN ( COMMENCEMENT OF AN UNDERTAKING, અનુષ્ઠાન ) (2)

After this process of anusthan, the saint begins to enter in the life of sadhak. One can not receive the full and complete bebefit from the saint without this happening. One can not learn the art of business without staying in one definite business. Spirituality is similar in that particular aspect. The owner of the business sometimes sends the novice to somebody else, to learn the finer aspects of business and gain some experience. At the same time he controls the change and also discusses strong and weak points of the novice, secretely with the other owner. He also disusses the kind of experience he needs to gain. Extraordinary benefit is gained only by the people, close to the owner. Anusthan is the process of developing this kind of personel closeness about one's life with the saint. Sadhak's development progreses at a faster pace, as he develops this personel closeness. One can not get this benefit without the initiation of the proces of anusthan. Saint enters one's being ( as a result of anusthan )  and gets the opportunity to study one's nature, temperament, lower tendencies, fate and obstacles. He never enters and studies without any reason and also does not care to do so. At the same time, it is also true that he does not care about the fitness of the sadhak, if sadhak wants to undergo process of anusthan because of some mysterious past associtions with him. For the saint the development of sadhak is by and for himself ( saint ), as he sees himself one with the sadhak.

                                                                                                ( continued )

Pujya Shree Mota
Jivan darshan ( જીવન દર્શન )
Edition 3; page 90

IMPORTANCE OF ANUSTHAN ( COMMENCEMENT OF AN UNDERTAKING, અનુષ્ઠાન ) (1)

Next few blogs will express Pujya Shree Mota's views on ANUSTHAN. The process and it's importance are expressed in a form of letter to a sadhak. This is a translation from the book Jivan darshan ( જીવન દર્શન ) edition 3, pages 88--95.

                                                ---------------------------------------------


Trichinapalli,
9-2-43.

For the novice it becomes much easier to master any subject or field, if he finds a good hearted and knowledgeable mentor to learn from. When businessman trains his family member in business, he does not keep him in any one routine work, but gives him the opportunity to learn new and exciting work. He may not give this opportunity to other workers, who may be with him for a long time. These workers may be smart and experienced, but they may not get the opportunity for advancement as they do not have a mentor who will teach them with definite purpose of advancement. Students are taught by a  teacher and parents teach their children with definite purpose and direction. When looking around, you will find that everybody gets the needed knowledge and skills from somebody. They have to undergo the process of learning. During this process one does not give much importance to god or bad experiences, since his own interest lies in learning from the mentor at that time.

This process of learning is just as relevent in spirituality as in ordinary life and society. If you can establish increased contact and relationship ( even to a small degree in the begining ) with a person in whom your mind, intelligence and psyche, have faith and trust, you will notice sublimation of your view points, activity and inclinations, over a period of time. You learn new and cxciting things. Just as a family member gets the opportunity to learn smallest detail and also doing business in millions from the owner, the novice in spirituality ( જીજ્ઞાસુ ) gets the needed boost and opportunity, if he linke his life with saint's, and establishes contact from heart to heart. The progress is much faster then.

Anusthan is the begining of the process to merge one's heart with the heart of a saint.
              
                                                                                                                             ( continued )

Pujya Shree Mota
Jivan darshan ( જીવન દર્શન )
Edition 3; page 88- 89.

PRANA ( પ્રાણ ) CAN NOT BE CONTROLLED BY MERE INTELLIGENCE ( બુિદ્ધ )

26 June, 1953
Kumbhakonam.

                                                                      Hari Om


It is not proper to conclude that one can control prana by mind and intelligence. That control is not lively and  ongoing e.g. a person concludes that drinking tea is a bad habit and he quits drinking tea. He may eventually substitute tea with coffee or other drink. So the field of prana like desires, inclinations and wishes are not sublimated and it stays the same although it may change and differ in it's external appearances. I have seen lots of people taking vows of different kind during independence struggle in India. I am not saying that it is wrong to do so. But I have experienced that when one takes a vow of quitting one thing, others take it's place.

My purpose and reason for telling you all this is following. One can not have durable, lively and conscious control over prana by mere understanding of mind and intelligence. It is possible only with the power higher than mind and intelligence. When the soul that has faith and devotion in the grace of God, calls on to Him with heartfelt humility and distress, for cleansing his defects in his being, the results are far more superior than just following the rules of good behavior, intentions and morality.

It is true that morality, good behavior and intentions need to be followed. By the grace of God my understanding differs when it is claimed to be one and the only way and vast importance given to it.



Pujya Shree Mota
Jivan pokar. ( જીવન પોકાર )
Edition 4; page 352

NAAM-SMARAN (JAPA) AND ANALYSIS OF MIND

Trichinapalli,
3 March, 1943

Whenever your mind is not feeling light, and is heavy, you definitely should do " Hari Om " naam- smaran ( reciting and remembering God's name ) with enthusiasm, openness, love and complete absorption ( dhun, ધુન ). If you can not understand the cause of this kind of disturbance in your mind, try analyzing the cause of this agitation and anger in your mind with equanimity, at the same time doing naam-smaran. You must find the root cause of this mental disturbance. All this is very important for sadhak. Nothing should pass by without this kind of observation. In fact understanding of all this should be automatic and effortless. It is better if you do not have to make an effort to understand the cause of the mental disturbance. Know for sure that this stage of effortless noticing will become a reality, when effort is made repeatedly.

Again it is important to express your heartfelt importance in naam-smaran while you are analyzing with detachment. The cause of loosing tract while analyzing must be understood and corrected and all this must and should be expressed in real life.


Pujya Shree Mota
Jivan manthan ( જીવન મંથન )
Edition 3; page 352.



My two cents ---
                             I think this is a low acuity meditation method and can be done while walking. Just do naam-smaran loudly while observing your mind. This can be done on a regular basis or when your mind is agitated for any reason.


Ashwin

ABOVE AND BEYOND THE MIND, SOLUTION OF THE PROBLEM

We will never make it, till we learn to think ( perceive and function ) above and beyond the mind, with clear understanding and knowledge. For this to happen, we should think with mind as little as possible. We should practice to keep our mind blank for 5 to 6 minutes ( even 2 to 3 minutes in the beginning ). Even after that do not let the thoughts come randomly ( it is better if you do not get thoughts, but that is difficult ). You tell the mind " you can think as much as you want " and give it complete freedom to do so. But on your part do not get entangled with those thoughts and watch it with equanimity and as a witness, without taking any interest in those thoughts. Afterwards you can think and analyze about the appropriateness of those thoughts and then explain this to mind. This particular training is very necessary to go, above and beyond the mind and stay in that state. It is vital to see and be on alert, that mind does not act on it's on, and in turn does everything, that you ask for. Mystery, play and acting of mind is really powerful and tends to keep us in dark, deploying any and all methods.


Pujya Shree Mota
Jivan pagaran ( જીવન પગરણ )
Edition 3; page 107.

LET THE THOUGHTS FLOW BY

It it better if you can go to the root cause of these thoughts, when you notice these thoughts while meditating. It is desirable, if you can transform the root cause of these thoughts into a force that leads to higher consciousness. But all this is very difficult in the early stages of meditation. It is very possible to loose the real purpose of meditation and get entangled into this process of finding the root cause of these thoughts. So let the thoughts come and flow by. It is very good if instant and automatic awareness is created ( for not getting attached to succeeding thoughts while meditating ).


Pujya Shree Mota
Jivan pagaran ( જીવન પગરણ )
Edition 3; page 89.

TRUE SURRENDER

Devotee ;   Mota, What kind of change has to happen in natural characteristics of mind, intelligence (બુિધ્ધ), chitta ( િચત્ત ), prana and ego, to realize that true surrender has developed?


Pujya Shree Mota ;    When natural characteristics and tendencies of mind, intelligence, chitta, prana and ego change, then only true surrender can manifest itself.

Mind stops wavering and being indecisive. Intelligence sheds it's doubts, uncertainty, confusion, arguments , speculation, and changes the whole thought process i.e. intelligence develops deep understanding and wisdom. Natural characteristics of prana like expectations, desires, covetousness, sexual desires, anger, arrogance, infatuation, jealousy etc loose it's grip and only desire left is for God. Ego looses it's natural pride, accepts and expresses, the will of divine consciousness. The impressions of natural tendencies slowly fades away in chitta and only impressions left and expressed are towards fulfilling desire for divine consciousness.

True surrender is established only when all these occur.


Pujya Shree Mota
Dhan no yog ( ધનનો યોગ )
Edition 1; page 112

MEANS TO BE HAPPY

Devotee ;     Mota, Why can't we maintain enthusiasm all the time in dealing with life's problems? Even the experiences of happiness does not last for ever . Why is that?


Pujya Shree Mota ;      We can not maintain enthusiasm in dealing with problems of life, behavior and society. The reason for this, is the appearance of despair and apathy in our lives. We feel this way because the result of our actions does not meet our expectations all the time, and there may be other obstacles and hinderances also. If we have an understanding, that when you are dealing with life, it is by very nature this kind of outcome is expected and should be accepted.

It is not possible to fulfill 100% of one's ideas and desires, and obstacles, difficulties, puzzles and problems are bound to occur. There is only one way for us to be saved from all these. The way is to  maintain peace and satisfaction, no matter what. Gita declares unequivocally " અશાંતસ્ય કુતઃ સુખમ્ ". How can one be happy without peace? If one wants to be happy in any particular field, then only way is to keep and maintain peace. With peace and satisfaction being lively and permanent, there develops certain easiness of intellect and that is very helpful in finding the solutions of our problems in life.

Unhappiness, quarrel, repentance, difficulty, conflict and indecision cause our intelligence to be less effective and that in turn, fails to find solutions of our problems. So it is very important to maintain peace and satisfaction if one wants to succeed in higher fields of life. That is the only way to happiness.


Pujya Shree Mota

Dhan no yog ( ધનનો યોગ )
Edition 1; page 115

REQUEST TO DEVOTEES SITTING IN SILENCE-ROOM ( મૌનમંદિર )

I have a request to devotees who sit in silence-room to be tolerant and bear with the aquaitances. You will benefit only if you bear this apparent suffering with love and sacrifice. Everybody has to bear the unjust behavior of other people in the society. If it is done with love, then only it leads to your own benefit. It leads to unhappiness if it is done unwillingly. It is BHAKTI if we bear this suffering with love. And you should also believe that this suffering is the result of our past karma and fate. You become happy or unhappy according to the way you approach this ( with love and willingness or as a burden that you have to carry unwillingly ).
It is not proper for someone to complain about this suffering. You should convince your mind  that it is the result of karma and fate. We have to sacrifice for each other in this society, then only society will improve and progress. Quality of life gets better, if this sacrifice is done with love. We do not get any energy if it is done without willingness on our part. Fortunate is the person, who gets this fresh breeze of love in his heart, when the time comes for this kind of sacrifice. You should not go and look for this kind of sacrifice, but when time comes for it, bear it with love. At the same time understand that you are burning your past karmas with that particular person. Anybody who looks for faults in others is ignorant and will be unhappy and repentant.  In fact, you should understand, that these happenings are because of you only.
If you love others, then your life will be filled with tremendous and incomparable joy in this world. But there is nobody in this society who is willing to sacrifice and enjoy this immense joy.


Pujya Shree Mota
Maun akantani kediae ( મૌન એકાંતની કેડીએ )
Edition 1; page 91-92

ALWAYS BE ON YOUR GUARD

You should definitely know, understand, and believe that you forge and create your life, according to natural tendencies. You create life with same tendencies depending upon the manner and content of your listening, thinking, speaking and acting. Always keep this in mind, and remember that this is not a play of imagination. Precisely for the same reason, it important and needed, to be on your guard a moment before and during the activity of listening, thinking, talking, behaving, interacting and contacting other people.

The soul, that has positively decided to avoid creating negative influences for future life, is always on his guard and gets inner alerts, as soon as he feels this kind of negative influences in his outer or inner being. As the practice of inner alertness becomes lively and active, his vision, inner tendencies and inclination towards his own life, are expressed in his life in very appropriate and right manner.

 From this time on, he starts to live for the appropriate development of his life.


Pujya Shree Mota
Jivan pokar ( જીવન પોકાર )
Edition 4; page 20.

MEASURE OF PROGRESS ( TRANSFORMATION )

Devotee ;  I cannot stop the passion and natural tendencies ( vrutti,  વૃિ-ત ) that floods my mind. I do become aware of it, but only after the fact. Is this considered a progress?

Pujya Shree Mota ;   We should be keenly aware of our own nature and accordingly we must have awareness that all our works are neither guided nor the slave of our nature. You can not have true life without this live awareness. It is entirely possible that novice sadhak may not be able to stop the flooding of these vrutti of his nature. Yet if he is aware of this flooding at that instant, then he may be able to use this for good purpose, if and when it happens again. One will not progress without this instantaneous awareness. Awareness after the fact is very inappropriate for sadhak. He must have awareness right at the moment.
You must pay attention to, the example of an alcoholic realizing his bad behavior under the influence, after becoming sober. Your condition will exactly be like that. If you experience deep, profound and forceful regret after the fact, then it may be appropriate. But it is not appropriate for sadhak, if this awareness comes after the incident, each and every time. If the degree awareness increases, only then it can be concluded, that it is handled with some understanding. Earlier one was aware after the force of nature was spent, now one is aware at that very instant.

Pujya Shree Mota
Dhan no yog ( ધનનો યોગ )
Edition 1 ; page 134

KARMA ( કર્મ ) IT'S PURPOSE AND METHODOLOGY

Harmony of knowledge, aspiration and the spirit behind karma, can be expressed only through actual performance of work.

If there is no living awareness of the surrender of karma to the divine, then karma becomes dull and lifeless. Performing work in this manner is meaningless. The only purpose of karma, whether small or large, is to inspire and kindle the flame of life. All work is to be done to increase the awareness of the purpose, the purpose being the spiritual development of this life. Work needs to be done in a way that decreases the duality in life.

Prana and ego should not be the inspiring forces behind the performance of work, but love and devotion should be guiding, inspiring and expressing themselves in work. Then only is this work for a definite purpose, with the power to shape our lives, provide necessary strength and change our inner being.  Work itself does not have any force, but continuous awareness of the purpose behind the work is the real force.


Pujya Shree Mota
Jivan pokar ( જીવન પોકાર )
Edition 4; page 90

HUSBAND-WIFE RELATIONSHIP AND HINDERANCES

Devotee-sister;
                         Why don't we have harmony in our relationship?

Pujya Shree Mota;
                               You should decrease the force of your opinion and insistence. Harmony between the two is not possible as long as there is a tendency to insist that work should be done in one way and not the other. So you should be careful about this. Continue to do naam-smaran at every moment.
                               With love and devotion, continue to recite God's name, at the same time reducing your insistence regarding the actions and behavior ( proper or improper ) of your husband. Allow everybody to act in their own way. It is excellent if both of you have harmony, and live by the common higher purpose in life.


Lagne hajo mangalam ( લગ્ને હજો મંગલમ )
Edition 1, page 113

HUSBAND-WIFE RELATIONSHIP

Devotee-sister ;                                                                                                                                                                                
                           Mota,  What should we do to calm the oppositional feeling between us?

Pujya Shree Mota ;
                        
                           Goodness will not express or expand in our lives without constant annihilation of narrowness of our mind and nature. We should be constantly looking for ways and making an effort to catch and destroy, the narrowness and crookedness of our mind and nature. This requires close watch and analysis of our nature and mind.
                          No body is our enemy or worth taking revenge in this life. It is entirely appropriate for us, if this kind of feeling does not arise in our mind towards any soul. You should behave in such a way, so that the life becomes peaceful and smooth. You should not give any reason, for him to agitate or point a finger at you even in the future.
                         Continue to work on your strong opinions and recite God's name as much as possible, otherwise two wheels of the car will not work in harmony, and create trouble for you. When you accept the meeting of two souls, then definitely learn to harmonize and understand the true meaning of harmony.


Lagne hajo mangalam ( લગ્ને હજો મંગલમ )
Edition 1; page 112.



My two cents ---
                      Even though this is addressed to wife in her relationship with her husband, opposite is also equally true. I think this is true in any relationship.

Ashwin                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                          

HAPPINESS, ITS DISCOVERY AND IGNORANCE

March 6, 1940
Karachi.


Dear Sister,

You have mentioned attachment and its illusion in your letter. The mind wants to be happy and so it engages in these kind of activities. Knowingly or unknowingly, all of our activities are in search of happiness. But we have not understood true happiness since we fail to distinguish and differentiate between momentary and permanent happiness. Even in worldly affairs, we leave the people that are not useful and go after the people that are beneficial to us. We see distinct advantage in doing so. Similarly we get dragged into our infatuations with worldly life and pleasures. It should be apparent to us the momentary nature of this happiness, as it is short lived. The mind, in turn, tries to find another area of happiness and keeps hopping around from one pleasure to another all the time. It does not find permanent happiness in any one particular item, thought or satisfying any of the desires. At the same time, to find permanent happiness is in the nature of human mind and there has to be a state of mind where it is achievable. Momentary happiness is no way near permanent happiness. If we have heartfelt understanding of this fact and have experienced the momentary nature of this happiness ( because worldly pleasures are momentary and you have to keep hopping from one pleasure to another constantly to maintain the pleasure ) then you can have some inclination to find true and permanent happiness.

You will understand all this, when you will have inclination and appetite to get this true and permanent happiness. One gets this inclination and inspiration at one glorious moment in life, but one either misses the moment or gets entangled into surroundings and its effects, thus effectively killing the moment. We continually go after the mirage of momentary happiness with our eyes closed.

Pujya Shree Mota
Jivan pagaran ( જીવન પગરણ )
Edition 3; page 61-62

REACHING LIFE'S GOALS WITH DEVOTION INFUSED WITH KNOWLEDGE

Experiences of higher consciousness happen, but these experiences have different meaning and understanding depending upon the level of one's development. In turn, these experiences act as a guide and help us to reach a higher level of consciousness. These experiences have value, only if this happens. The mind develops unshakable faith, only when one is convinced in the heart. One cannot enter this path with imagination or dry knowledge. One needs devotion infused with knowledge to enter this path. Deeper, practical and subtle yet forceful understanding of life is revealed with this kind of devotion. One recognizes the nature and disposition of relatives that comes in one's contact. It is very important for us to see that we don't get dumbfounded, get entangled into or develop attachment and jealousy towards these relatives. We should instantly decide if this thought, feeling and inclination of our mind is a facilitator towards reaching our goal in life. If not, then it should be removed from our mind with sternness and love. We should also draw the attention of our mind to it's smallness and worthlessness and in the process elevate our mind to higher level. This should be done with love.

Pujya Shree Mota

Jivan mandan ( જીવન મંડાણ )
Edition 3; page 39

CHARACTERISTICS AND MEASURE OF BHAVNA ( ભાવના )

Devotee :  What are the distinguishing characteristics of  BHAVNA? How do I know when it is being expressed in me?

Pujya Shree Mota :  You will know the true measure of  BHAVNA only when you experience the incidents where your mind and heart gets jolted and stumbled.  BHAVNA is never static. It moves us forward and helps us to stay in higher consciousness. When there is heartfelt and predominant manifestation of BHAVNA in the heart, certain positive characteristics ( ગુણ ) develop. Because of that, peace and happiness of mind is not disturbed when faced with incidents, that are mind-shattering and painful, in the eyes and understanding of society. And this is not because of any weakness, helplessness or being forced into against one's will. We should accept these incidents with heartfelt affection and maintain mind's attitude in constructive and right manner. This is, what is needed.

Pujya Shree Mota
Dhan no yog; ( ધનનો યોગ )
Edition-1; page 124 - 125


My two cents ---

In one of his books Pujya Shree Mota mentions BHAVNA as being above the mind. One can experience it only when mind has certain quietude.

In my understanding, that there are various interpretations of BHAVNA like living awareness of purpose, aspiration for the divine, divine love , etc.

Ashwin

WHAT REALLY MATTERS IS THE SINCERE EFFORT

If the soul ( જીવ ) cannot be alert and mindful, effort is going to be halfhearted and imperfect. It may become inattentive and less vigilant, thus loosing its way and direction. At this stage the soul has not developed the inner strength to prevent this from happening. This kind of soul needs to do NAAM-SMARAN and pray to God for His grace and help, so that he can be free from his defects and it's deleterious effects in his life. At the same time he needs to make a sincere effort to be alert and mindful. This soul has no reason to loose courage, as it is making  an effort with heartfelt sincerity and honesty. This soul may fall or rise repeatedly in life but in the process, experiences glimpses of true meaning of life. By the grace of God the soul learns to rise and stand tall, from these struggles of life and overcoming it by enormous effort. You should unequivocally know that only by making a sincere effort, can the dawn ( understanding ) of life will manifest.

We should avoid pettiness in our feelings, repeating the same thoughts, clinging and immersing ourselves  in these kind of activities. The only thing that you need to cling and immerse is NAAM-SMARAN, keeping it's live awareness in the heart at all times.

Pujya Shree Mota
Jivan pokar ( જીવનપોકાર )
Edition 4; page 15 and 167

MISTAKES AND DEFECTS SHOULD STING US BY HEART

We can benefit only if the eye of discretion makes us instantaneously aware and decide about variety of inner and outer happenings ( before mistakes and defects manifest ). Otherwise it is like locking the stable after the horses are bolted. I have heard people say about improprieties of their actions about various matters after the fact and accept the responsibility about the wrongdoing. It is possible that one may have understood the incident and accepted the responsibility in mind and intelligence, yet there is no sting or pain felt deep in heart. If we feel the pain of this sting, and understand the impropriety of our actions every time, then this wound gets deeper and deeper, producing a kind of awareness at that moment. This awareness in turn wakes you up right at that moment. Again it is not of much help or use, if you feel the sting but do not wake up at that moment. Our intelligence is alerted and awakened by this kind of awareness. This awakening of intelligence, in turn develops the sense of discretion.

If you feel the inappropriateness of your actions or speech, then you should not keep thinking about it, although at times it may be helpful. This inappropriateness must produce heartfelt pain and sting in your heart. It is meaningful only if this heartfelt pain is translated into proper and appropriate actions in our lives. Then only it is worthwhile.

Pujya Shree Mota
Jivan pokar ( જીવનપોકાર )
Edition 4; pages165-166

BEWARE OF HYPOCRISY

I see many people, coming to me for years, getting bogged down in superfluous and trivial matters. It is hypocritical to remember God for one or two hours in this situation. This kind of attitude will not improve or elevate the quality of naam-smaran ( reciting God's name and remembering Him ). Even people possessed with anger and excessive sexual desires ( કામી ) can improve themselves, but hypocrites cannot. Hypocrisy produces a kind of curtain that is impossible to lift or see through. The process of hypocrisy is so deep and mysterious that it creates an atmosphere in which a person is convinced of his or her truthfulness. People with anger can realize their mistakes, but for hypocrites it is impossible to lift the curtain of falsehood and see the truth.

If we always think of "me" and "mine" and are guided by our nature, then remembering God has no meaning. It is not going to be useful and in fact will increase hypocrisy. This results in a more spoiled and polluted society. You should always try to understand this and think about ways to improve and elevate the quality of naam-smaran.

Pujya Shree Mota

Maun mandirno murm ( મૌનમંદિરનો મમૅ )
Edition 1; page 62-63.

USE OF BHAVA ( ભાવ )

You should not be boxed into any kind of understanding. However,this does not mean that bhava should not be expressed. Bhava is useful if it is expressed as a tool for your development and not for enjoyment.
There is no other bhava more alert and clever than sadbhava ( goodness, સદભાવ ). When sadbhava is developed from the heart with knowledge and devotion, it opens up the third eye of discretion ( વિવેક ). This sense of discretion is at the root of knowledge. This sadbhava with knowledge and a sense of discretion  will automatically develop deep understanding and guide us regarding our relationships, behavior and the extent of involvement with family and friends. One does not have to think before developing and taking care of relationships when sadbhava has produced a worry-free and peaceful mind. There is a certain ease, happiness and peace about one's behavior.

Pujya Shree Mota

Jivan pravesh ( જીવન પ્રવેશ )
Edition 2, page 58.

INTERNAL CLEANSING

People develop variety of mental and emotional moods at various times. For this reason you should not loose mental balance if someone behaves in a manner that you dislike or disapprove. Instead of being provoked and instigated at this time, you should remember the positive qualities of this person and appreciate best aspects of his or her life. Alternatively you can completely immerse yourself into naam-smaran at that very moment. In short you should have understanding and awareness that your mind is not disturbed by someone else's behavior towards you.
It is pollution of your mind if someone else's whims and inclination touches and affects your mind and it is true that you must cleanse your mind of this pollutants. This internal cleansing of the mind is not possible or sustainable unless you are constantly alert and aware. You should do heartfelt prayer to God for granting this awareness.

Pujya Shree Mota

Jivan-pravesh ( જીવન પ્રવેશ )
Edition 2, page 62

JUDGMENT OF OTHERS

Karachi
March 15, 1940

Throughout our contact and our daily actions, we must remain steadfast in concentrating on the self within. This is the best way to live a meaningful life. Everyone has one's own standard of judging others. We estimate the worth of others by that standard and dub them "good" or "bad". One who appears to be "good" to one individual is "bad"in the eyes of another. Such differing view points are common.

We must give up our habit of judging others, for our opinion of anyone is based on the very petty, ill-founded and unreliable ground of our narrow conceptions, on our prejudices, and on our imperfect intellectual perceptions. It is absolutely unjust and improper, therefore, to evaluate the worth of anyone on such faulty bases. Not only it is improper in principle, but it also betrays our own defects. "Judge not that you be not judged" is a sound moral and practical maxim. In judging others, one finds himself automatically judged against the condemned for such a bad practice.

Judging others creates prejudices for and against people. The best thing for us is, therefore, to see that no adverse thought about others arises in our mind, and if it does, we should at once realize the impropriety of such a thought and summarily dismiss it immediately. Our love will then flow freely for one and all, although some person may appear "bad" to someone else, we shall act toward that person only with love. Whether or not others act lovingly towards us should be of no concern at all to us. Harboring the deliberate purpose of elevation of our souls, we must always behave towards everyone lovingly. What we must cultivate is the settled feeling of love ( bhava ) in our hearts for everyone.

As the circle of our love, consciously cherished, grows bigger, our likes and dislikes for others will become less and less pronounced, we shall no longer experience attachment or aversion towards anyone. Mellowness in our attitude is a clear indication of increasing love for every living creature.

As yet, we are not able to know even our own selves. The deeply hidden unhealthy things within us, the wicked impulses of our nature, are disclosed to us only after we have progressed on the spiritual path and have become introspective. Thus when we do not even our own selves, how can we know others? We must, therefore, give up our habit of forming opinions of others.


Pujya Shree Mota

Vision of life eternal
Edition 1; page 86-87

RIGHT ATTITUDE AND PEACEFUL MIND

We should always wish the best for everybody, even though they may not reciprocate or feel the same way. So if you train your mind with this understanding, then this kind of incident will not be able to disturb the peace in your mind. For this reason, it is important to have the right attitude to maintain a peaceful mind. If your mind starts to wander, then you should bring it back.   If you find your mind taking interest in extraneous matters, then you should persuade it to come to a peaceful state. You should pray sincerely in your heart during these encounters. This kind of experiment needs to be done several times a day with mindfulness and awareness. These experiments develop self confidence and a true understanding of life. Only when you develop this kind of self confidence can you restrain your mind in real situations. We may encounter setbacks during these experiments. We should never be discouraged since we have made a conscious, firm and irrevocable decision to do this kind of work. The soul that engages in this kind of work will immediately know that any deviation of mind from this purpose is not right and is detrimental to the development of his life and his goal. Do not brood over your thoughts while performing your work. Do your work with a sense of devotion and surrender to God. We should always try to find a way to maintain peace, happiness and freedom from worries in our minds, at the same time practicing the tool with complete concentration and single-mindedness. This is the real meaning of sadhana.

Pujya Shree Mota

Jivan pravesh ( જીવન પ્રવેશ )
Edition 2; page 71-72

SADGURU'S ( સદગુ્રુ ) HELP

You feel like going to see your sadguru, but it is important to learn the art of invoking the sadguru live in your heart. Any sadhak ( devotee ) who sees him only in his outer physical form is not a true sadhak and this will not help him.
A sadhak who makes good use of his sadguru always shines light on his sadguru by improving his own life; getting his help and support whenever he needs, and continuing to march forward with gratitude and the satisfaction of having done his duty. He does not just sit around and enjoy the safety and peace of mind that he receives from his sadguru.

Pujya Shree Mota

Jivan pravesh ( જીવન પ્રવેશ )
Edition 2; Page 22

EMOTIONS AND SADHANA

Whenever we remember our loved ones, it evokes memory and emotions. We should use this emotions to do japa with live awareness of the purpose ( ભાવ ). Ordinarily we may not even realize to use this emotions as an instrument to increase this awareness of purpose and continue to be swept away in emotions and thoughts of loved ones. But we should use this emotions in appropriate manner and not get carried away. Consider this as using your sense of discretion ( વિવેક ). It is a kind of discretion when you don't get mixed up with the flow of thoughts, feelings and emotions, but stay above it and use it towards your own benefit. Of course there are various phases of discretion

When you have feeling of happiness use it to your own benefit. A merchant will go bankrupt if he uses up all of his capital. He will do well if he invests his profits back into his capital and conserves the capital. We should use this feeling of happiness in a similar manner.

Pujya Shree Mota

Jivan pagaran ( જીવન પગરણ )
Page 41
Compiled in Nirantar Vikas ( નિરંતર વિકાસ )
June 25

METHOD OF JAPA ( જાપ )

Qualities and measure of  JAPA
-----------------------------------------

1) Japa should be shortest.
2) It should not have hard consonants.
3) Best Japa is easiest to pronounce.
4) Sound has three centers
                      umbilical center
                      throat center
                      top of the head center
Japa with the words that touches and pierces all these centers is the ideal japa.
4) Japa should be co-ordinated either with breath or heart beat.
------------------------------------------
                        
When japa is lively, effortless, permanent and continuous like the flow of Ganges water, then only it is very helpful to direct inner instruments ( mind, intelligence etc ) and soul towards appropriate aim.                       Continuity in the japa is very important in producing loving devotion that in turn will lead to higher consciousness.  Japa is best done with happy flow of feelings and aspiration.

Mental japa is best,  but beginners can not do it in mind. The reason being very nature of the mind, that  knows only duality. The function of the mind is to be indecisive and argue either way since it works at the level of duality. It can not do anything but that. When practice of japa becomes lively, affectionate and directed towards divine then only effortless continuity ( અજપાજપ )  in japa is established in mind.

Nervous system in the body reacts to various actions and reactions producing different kind of vibration in it. Body in turn feels and reacts to these vibrations in variety of ways. Distraction and agitation is produced by intense feeling of love, anger, greed, infatuation, jealousy and ego. This distraction and agitation upsets the nervous system in variety of ways, producing instability, loss of balance and peace. Because of this loss of order and efficiency; balance and determination of the nervous system is compromised, resulting in diseases. If japa is done continuously and whole heartedly nervous system is toned up, producing peace, balance and equanimity. And when these qualities reach at the extreme in nervous system, there is a possibility of curing diseases of the body and nervous system. Because of this, it is very important to develop continuity and one pointedness in japa. When live awareness and dynamic   continuity is established in japa, it prods the mind, intelligence, life force and ego towards it's appropriate goal and it is inspirational and creative in its action. Duality of the mind is reduced and psyche tends to be virtuous. This also creates a natural state of the being where sex and anger like qualities of life force (prana ) is automatically reduced. Balance is established in intelligence permanently. Ego now works to enhance knowledge of consciousness, instead of being busy with dualities and matters of daily life.


Pujya Shree Mota


Preface of Jivan smaransadhana
Compiled in Naam-Smaran
Edition 1, page 30-32
--------------------------------------------------
My two cents --

Japa works at the root cause of duelities in mind and calms the forces of prana like anger, sex, jealousy, greed and ego at the same time. It is very difficult, rather impossible to reduce these forces individually. Japa works on all at the same time. Pujya Shree Mota has clearly stated that in this difficult times there is no other safer and effective tool as naam-smaran ( japa ).
So try it . You have nothing to loose but your anger and greed.

Ashwin

GOODNESS AND DEVOTEE

We have to develop and express lively and devotional goodness towards all religions, their main leaders, all good people and realized souls. And that is always good for our own interests. You will never have the awareness of the purpose without expressing goodness suffused with knowledge (જ્ઞાનયુકત સદભાવ ) towards all. If you cannot express equanimity towards all, or cannot generate energy towards that effort, then you must conclude that there is some defect in your sadhana. A genuine sadhak can never be narrow-minded and mean to anybody. If you cannot experience sympathy, generosity and broadmindedness towards opposing opinions, then it is not a living experiment of sadhana but a useless exercise in futility that takes you nowhere.

Pujya Shree Mota

Jivan sanshodhan ( જીવન સંશોધન )
Page 112
Compiled in Nirantar Vikas ( નિરંતર વિકાસ ) Jan 24

WEALTH AND DEVOTEE

As the trust and faith in God increases in devotee, he would definitely understand that his wealth is an indicative sign of the grace of God. He can help the needy with his wealth. If this is done with heartfelt awareness of the purpose then he will definitely be helped indirectly by the people who are helped  by him. People who are helped in their very difficult life, received support and whose life is brightened in their darkest hour will have gratitude, good feeling and supportive behavior towards him. This in turn will increase his trust in God.

Ordinary person has to try very hard to reach the destination as he has to walk all the way. Some may travel by bullock cart or by train. By the grace of God, if you have the wealth and if you master the art of using the instrument of wealth in right and appropriate way, then you will reach the destination with the speed of a plane.

Pujya Shree Mota

Dhanano yog ( ધનનો યોગ )
Page - 19
Compiled in Nirantar Vikas ( નિરતંર વિકાસ ) May 25