gdskler

Gskler ji..........I think it is the very early stage that you are describing, especially when the jap itself begins to separate from breath.
I remembered about describing this to myself ''as if trying to catch a bird/hen and it keeps runining/jumping forward out of your grasp''

With what you describe, it also highlights the fact that simran stages don't have to run in any specific step by step order. For eg. you may hear naad before you taste amrit or vice versa.

From just my personal understanding and practice, I can only tell you the little I know.
In my experience and from what you are saying, certain chakras can begin to activate and awaken completely at random!
It seems your throat has began to awaken.
Now, with the approach and methods of saas graas,- saas saas- that some of us have used,.... I can only advise that you should take your dhyian down to navel area and do more saas saas..........I say this because....I think you should be putting more dhyian into the dhun and listening.

gurbani says ""dhun mein dhyan, dhyaan mein Jaaniya" ..............and then only by 'listening'...will the naad begin to manifest. Also, when you really put the dhyian on listening, then next steps will spontaneously begin to come to you at ease.

I strongly advise to not get lost and trapped into the mindset of ''Oh what shall I do next...or maybe I'm doing it all wrong."....attitude.....because I have fallen down this path many times !
Just keep the PYAAR for the satguru and beg him with love to lead the way.
Jap and immerse in the simran whilst listening. Listen and listen to your jap with dhyian and you will begin to go more internal and start hearing the sounds that will catch you by surprise. Acknowledge this as the Satguru, telling you that he is listening.

With what you are experiencing and describing;Be grateful, because he has already confirmed to you that HE is doing the Jap within you!!
because gurbani says

ਸਰਗੁਨ ਨਿਰਗੁਨ ਨਿਰੰਕਾਰ ਸੁੰਨ ਸਮਾਧੀ ਆਪਿ ॥
Sargun nirgun nirankār sunn samāḏẖī āp.
He possesses all qualities; He transcends all qualities; He is the Formless Lord. He Himself is in Primal Samaadhi.

ਆਪਨ ਕੀਆ ਨਾਨਕਾ ਆਪੇ ਹੀ ਫਿਰਿ ਜਾਪਿ ॥੧॥
Āpan kī▫ā nānkā āpe hī fir jāp. ||1||
Through His Creation, O Nanak, He meditates on Himself. ||1||

I have been following the principles of "char pandarath" as path of my life philosophy for many years now. I believe that this Shabads from Sukhmani sahib is for practical living. Thus my definition for Char pandarath ( as I had read somewhere many years ago) is akin to one doing ardas to Waheguru seeking his blessing. My definition as per doing ardas are :-
a. to seek Oneness with Waheguru. I seek for naam simraan that enable us to be "ek.."
b.to bless me with Absolute Faith in Waheguru. That I will not weaver. That I have faith that HE will deliver. Similar to Law of Attraction.
c. Fulfillment of one desire. let your desire known to Him. Once done that be detach. avoid moh.
d. to be in or one being in abundance: be it in assets or naam, business results, sales etc. (satisfaction)

The above definition "may" have been modified as to my own experiences as life progress or change.
To achieve the above pandaraths then One must do :-

"Sadh jana ki, seva lage ||"

I used to believe as what the above threads have defined that sadh are spiritual enlightenment souls. In fact i used to do the sewa for certain Babas but I was not getting any "ummmps" feeling for the pandarat as I define above. Then one day it just occurred when I combine with Guruji 'wand ke sankana' that the sadh here means anyone that I came into contact daily be it family, neighbours, clients, etc by providing value into their life. Value is something beyond my normal duty or roles. Value here means we share ( or "wand") with someone that he really appreciate it. As saying in Sikhi " sab wich Waheguru vasanda" therefore everybody is a Sadh.

Thus this my definition and part of practical living.

Very deep calming waheguru simran.

https://soundcloud.com/veermanpreet/evening-simran-in-london-on-14-dec-2014

The Seven Systems of Eastern Philosophy

The seven systems of Indian philosophy which address themselves to these issues are Vedanta, Yoga, Sankhya, Vaisheshika, Mimamsa, Nyaya, and Buddhism. The dates given for the teachers of the systems below have been determined by Western scholars. Scholars within these systems regard them as many millennia older.

VEDANTA: I am self-existent consciousness and bliss—these are not my attributes but my very being. I do not come from anywhere or go anywhere, but rather I assume many forms having many names. My essential nature is free from all qualifications and limitations. I am like an ocean, and all the creatures are like the waves. The individual soul is essentially Brahman, all-inclusive, all-expansive. The genderless Aum is its name; it is the nucleus—and the universe is its expansion. It is the absolute, transcendent, attributeless Reality, and it also eternally embodies the capacity to bring to measure within itself its own inner shakti. So this power of Brahman, called maya, emanates and gives the appearance of becoming manifold—but in truth there is no manifoldness, and the infinite never becomes finite. There is a superimposition of the finite on the infinite, which is eradicated by unveiling Reality again. Then one realizes himself to be in Brahman as Brahman. He identifies himself with Brahman and becomes one with it. Below are some of the most important statements of the Vedanta philosophy as found in the Upanishads.

1. There is nothing manifold here. From death to death he wanders who sees anything here as though it were manifold.
2. He who is tranquil dwells in Brahman, from whom the universe emanates and into whom it dissolves.
3. All this is Brahman.
4. Brahman is pure gnosis (personal experience knowledge).
5. This self is Brahman.
6. That thou art.
7. I am that.
8. I am Brahman.

The philosophy which was taught by the seers of the Vedas (2000 to 500 B.C.) was passed down through a long line of sages (such as Vyasa, Gaudapada, and Govindapada, the author of many ancient scriptures), who codified these ancient philosophies. Shankaracharya finally systematized the monistic schools in the eighth century A.D., and many acharyas after him established various schools of non-dualistic and dualistic philosophies which differed from him.

YOGA: In the Yoga system of philosophy, the individual soul is a seeker, and cosmic consciousness is the ultimate reality it finds within. Yoga accommodates all religions and all systems of philosophy as far as the practical aspects are concerned. While dwelling in the manifold phenomenon of the universe, the soul must take care of the material body, purifying and strengthening its capacity. In this system the individual must practice the highest principle of behavior and the control of the various modifications of mind through the commitments called yama and niyama. By practicing stillness in posture and breath, one then transforms oneself by having control over the senses with concentration and meditation and finally attains samadhi. The final goal of this system is to attain kaivalya [“aloneness”]. This yoga system was also known several millennia before Patanjali, who codified it in the first century A.D. by compiling 196 aphorisms, called the Yoga Sutras. The Yoga and Sankhya systems of philosophy are alike.

SANKHYA: The Sankhya system is dualistic and believes the conscious Purusha and the unconscious Prakriti to be separate, co-existent and interdependent realities. In Sankhya the conscious principle is again twofold: it consists of the individual soul (jiva) and the universal soul or God (Ishvara). (In other systems of Sankhya philosophy, the existence of God is irrelevant.) All the schools of the Sankhya system believe in removing the pains and miseries which arise from Purusha’s involvement with Prakriti, forgetting its everpure, ever-wise, and ever-free nature.

Like a rope with three strands, Prakriti has three attributes, called sattva, rajas, and tamas [tranquility, activity, and sloth]. All phenomena of the universe, including mental operations, are nothing but interactions among these three gunas (qualities) of Prakriti. These bring to manifestation various aspects which remain in unmanifested form in the cause. When the three gunas are in balance, Prakriti is in a state of equilibrium. The mental and physical universe is created and passes through twenty-four, thirty-six, or sixty states that include all phenomena and experiences.

All the schools of Indian philosophy have included something from Sankhya philosophy in their systems. This system is the very basis of Indian psychology. It gave birth to the positive science of mathematics and then to the medical system of India, for to understand the body is to understand all human nature. The founder of the Sankhya school was Asuri, and Kapila, one of the most ancient seers, is called the acharya of this science. Then followed Ishvara Krishna, who systematized the philosophy into the Sankhya Karika around the third century A.D.

VAISHESHIKA: This philosophy deals with the physics and chemistry of the body and the universe. Discussing the particular elements, their atoms, and their mutual interactions, Kanada, perhaps 300 B.C., states the subject of his philosophy to be dharma, the code of conduct which leads human beings to prosperity in this life and the highest good in the next. This philosophy discusses nine subjects—earth, water, fire, air, space, time, dimension, mind, and soul—and their mutual relationships. This philosophy was developed by Prashastapada in the fourth century A.D.

MIMAMSA: The Mimamsa system was founded by Jaimini. In this system the Vedas are accepted as selfevident scriptures revealing internal knowledge. This system believes in salvation through action. It established a detailed philosophy of the efficacy of ritual, worship, and ethical conduct, which developed into the philosophy of karma. This school challenges the predominance of grammarians and logicians who maintain linguistics and rhetoric. It is a school of philosophy in action. Jaimini’s date was perhaps c. 400 B.C.

NYAYA: Nyaya is the school of logicians founded by Gautama, one of the ancient sages. It regards doubt as a prerequisite for philosophical inquiry, and elaborates rules for debate. All the schools of Indian philosophy to this day follow the Nyaya system of logic, which was further developed in the sixteenth century and which is now called neologic, a complex system similar to the mathematical logic of the West today.

BUDDHISM: Gautama the Buddha was born 2,600 years ago in Kapilavastu at the site of the ancient ashram of the sage Kapila, who is one of the founders of the Sankhya philosophy. Gautama studied this philosophy in depth under a teacher named Adara Kalama, and he later discovered the four noble truths:
1. There exists sorrow.
2. There is a cause of sorrow.
3. The sorrow can be eradicated.
4. There are means for the eradication of sorrow.

These four noble truths are already found in the Yoga Sutras of Patanjali, but the difference lies in Buddha’s doctrine of anatta, or non-self. The word neti (“not this”) was fully understood by the ancient rishis (Vedic seers). The Buddha refused to participate in metaphysical speculation. He would not discuss the existence of God, and he would not answer the question of whether the Buddhas exist after nirvana. He said that such questions were not worthy of consideration. The Enlightened One, a highly practical teacher, wanted his disciples to practice the eightfold right path of action that would lead them to bodhi, the finest level of consciousness. He accepted Pali as a language for communication.

After Buddha’s para-nirvana, various groups of monks started following their own way. There then formed two major schools: Theravada, the doctrine of the elders, and Mahayana, the formal philosophicalschool of Buddhism which disappeared in India. Great volumes have been written on the major historical and doctrinal differences between the two paths. Theravadins considered the teachings of Buddha to be completely separate from the rest of the Indian philosophical developments. They retained Pali as their medium to study the scriptures, although not a great deal of philosophical speculation developed in Pali.
The Buddha remains their enlightened teacher, and great temples having beautiful statues were built to honor him, where ancient Hindu-style puja (worship) is still offered. This doctrine does not accept Buddha as a savior, however. Each person finds his own light, is then enlightened, and finally reaches anatta or nonself.

The Mahayana debated with other schools of Indian philosophy and was forced to adopt the sophistication of the Sanskrit language. One of the greatest scholars, Nagarjuna, describes shunya and calls it the void. The storehouse of consciousness, alaya-vijñana, of the vijñana-vadin school is cosmic consciousness. Hindus had begun to accept the Buddha as the ninth incarnation of God, but the Buddhists were at a loss to fulfill the spiritual call and the human need for devotion to a higher being. So there developed the thought of a higher reality that incarnates. Here the Buddha has three bodies or levels of existence:

1. Dharma-kaya—the absolute being (like Shukla Brahman of the Upanishads).
2. Sambhoga-kaya—the universe as the emanation (like Shabala Brahman of the Upanishads and Ishvara or personal God).
3. Nirmana-kaya—the historical body of the Buddha, an avatar or incarnation.
The Mahayana school still uses kundalini and knowledge of chakra in their teachings.

Visualizations of symbolic figures and elaborate ritualistic preparations are used exactly as Hindus do. Faith and the surrender to a higher compassionate being are practiced exactly as they were taught in Hindu scriptures. The Buddha’s own path was majjhima patipada, the middle way. The Buddha’s teachings were primarily for the monks, but like other ancient teachings Buddhism became a way of life for a large section of people in the world.
By following this middle path one can eradicate avidya (ignorance), which leads to tanha (craving). Only then can one gain freedom from sorrow, pain, and misery.

These seven systems deal with various aspects of reality and truth. They hold a higher transcendental
goal as sacred and agree on some basic essentials. For this reason the syncretic literature of India such as the Puranas and epics like the Mahabharata and Ramayana regard all these systems as authentic.

Meditation is a word that has come to be used loosely and inaccurately in the modern world. That is why there is so much confusion about how to practice it. Some people use the word meditate when they mean thinking or contemplating; others use it to refer to daydreaming or fantasizing. However, meditation (dhyana) is not any of these.

Meditation is a precise technique for resting the mind and attaining a state of consciousness that is totally different from the normal waking state. It is the means for fathoming all the levels of ourselves and finally experiencing the center of consciousness within. Meditation is not a part of any religion; it is a science, which means that the process of meditation follows a particular order, has definite principles, and produces results that can be verified.

In meditation, the mind is clear, relaxed, and inwardly focused. When you meditate, you are fully awake and alert, but your mind is not focused on the external world or on the events taking place around you. Meditation requires an inner state that is still and one-pointed so that the mind becomes silent. When the mind is silent and no longer distracts you, meditation deepens.

Turning Inward
From childhood onward, we have been educated only to examine and verify things in the external world. No one has taught us how to look within, to find within, and to verify within. Therefore, we remain strangers to ourselves, while trying to get to know others. This lack of self-understanding is one of the main reasons our relationships don’t seem to work, and why confusion and disappointment so often prevail in our life.

Very little of the mind is cultivated by our formal educational system. The part of the mind that dreams and sleeps—the vast realm of the unconscious which is the reservoir of all our experiences—remains unknown and undisciplined; it is not subject to any control. It is true that the whole of the body is in the mind, but the whole of the mind is not in the body. Except for the practice of meditation, there is no method to truly develop control over the totality of the mind.

The goal of meditation is to go beyond the mind and experience our essential nature—which is described as peace, happiness, and bliss. But as anyone who has tried to meditate knows, the mind itself is the biggest obstacle standing between ourselves and this awareness. The mind is undisciplined and unruly, and it resists any attempts to discipline it or to guide it on a particular path. The mind has a mind of its own. That is why many people sit for meditation and experience only fantasies, daydreams, or hallucinations. They never attain the stillness that distinguishes the genuine experience of deep meditation.

We are taught how to move and behave in the outer world, but we are never taught how to be still and examine what is within ourselves. When we learn to do this through meditation, we attain the highest of all joys that can ever be experienced by a human being. All the other joys in the world are momentary, but the joy of meditation is immense and everlasting. This is not an exaggeration; it is a truth supported by the long line of sages, both those who renounced the world and attained truth, and those who continued living in the world yet remained unaffected by it.

Meditation is a practical means for calming yourself, for letting go of your biases and seeing what is, openly and clearly. It is a way of training the mind so that you are not distracted and caught up in its endless churning. Meditation teaches you to systematically explore your inner dimensions. It is a system of commitment, not commandment. You are committing to yourself, to your path, and to the goal of knowing yourself. But at the same time, learning to be calm and still should not become a ceremony or religious ritual; it is a universal requirement of the human body.

How to Cultivate Stillness
Learning how to be still is the method of meditation. The process of cultivating stillness begins with the body. In the yoga tradition, you are guided by a competent teacher to keep your head, neck, and trunk straight while sitting in a meditative posture (asana). When you have learned to be comfortable in this posture, you should form a regular habit of practicing in the same posture at the same time and at the same place every day.

Find a simple, uncluttered, quiet place where you will not be disturbed. Sit on the floor with a cushion under you or in a firm chair, with your back straight and your eyes closed. Then bring your awareness slowly down through your body, allowing all of the muscles to relax except those that are supporting your head, neck, and back. Take your time and enjoy the process of letting go of the tension in your body. Meditation is the art and science of letting go, and this letting go begins with the body and then progresses to thoughts.

Once the body is relaxed and at peace, bring your awareness to your breath. Notice which part of your lungs are being exercised as you breathe. If you are breathing primarily with your chest you will not be able to relax. Let your breathing come primarily through the movement of the diaphragm. Continue to observe your breath without trying to control it. At first the breath may be irregular, but gradually it will become smooth and even, without pauses and jerks.

Meditation is a process of giving your full attention to whatever object you have chosen. In this case you are choosing to be aware of the breath. Allow yourself to experience your breathing in an open and accepting way. Do not judge or attempt to control or change it. Open yourself so fully that eventually there is no distinction between you and the breathing. In this process many thoughts will arise in your mind: “Am I doing this right? When will this be over? Perhaps I should have closed the window. I forgot to make an important call. My neck hurts.” Hundreds of thoughts may come before you and each thought will call forth some further response: a judgment, an action, an interest in pursuing the thought further, an attempt to get rid of the thought.

At this point, if you simply remain aware of this process instead of reacting to the thought, you will become aware of how restless your mind is. It tosses and turns like you do on a night when you cannot fall asleep. But that is only a problem when you identify with the mind and react to the various thoughts it throws at you. If you do, you will be caught in a never-ending whirlwind of restless activity. But if you simply attend to those thoughts when they arise, without reacting, or if you react and attend to the reaction, then they cannot really disturb you. Remember—it is not the thoughts that disturb you, but your reaction to them.

Paying Attention
When you meditate, you give yourself an inner vacation.
Meditation is very simple. It is simply attending. You can begin by attending to your breath, and then if a thought comes, attend to it, notice it, be open to it—and it will pass. Then you can come back to the breath. Your normal response is to react to all your thoughts, and this keeps you ever busy in a sea of confusion. Meditation teaches you to attend to what is taking place within without reacting, and this makes all the difference. It brings you freedom from the mind and its meandering. And in this freedom you begin to experience who you are, distinct from your mental turmoil. You experience inner joy and contentment, you experience relief and inner relaxation, and you find a respite from the tumult of your life. You have given yourself an inner vacation.

This inner vacation is not a retreat from the world but the foundation for finding inner peace. You must also learn to apply the principle of attending in your worldly activities, so that you can apply yourself in the world more effectively. Through practicing meditation you can learn to be open to what comes before you in your daily life and give it your full attention.

Ordinarily, you react to the experiences that come before you in much the same way that you react to your thoughts. If someone says something negative to you, you become angry or depressed. If you lose something, you become emotionally upset. Your mood depends on what comes before you, and, as a result, your life is like a roller coaster ride. You react before you have fully experienced what you are reacting to. You immediately interpret what you see or hear according to your expectation, fears, prejudices, or resistances. You short-circuit the experience, and thus limit yourself to one or two conditioned responses instead of responding to a situation openly and creatively.

But if you apply the principle of meditation to experiences that come before you, you can fully attend to what is taking place. You can attend to your initial reaction without reacting to your reaction: “Oh, look how threatened I feel by that.” Let yourself be open to experiencing your reaction and it will move through you and allow other spontaneous responses to also come forward, so that you can select the one that is most helpful in that particular situation.

In this way meditation is very therapeutic. It not only leads to inner balance and stability, it also exposes your inner complexes, your immaturities, your unproductive reflexes and habits.

In this way meditation is very therapeutic. It not only leads to inner balance and stability, it also exposes your inner complexes, your immaturities, your unproductive reflexes and habits. Instead of living in these complexes and habits and acting them out, they are brought to your awareness and you can give them your full attention. Only then will they clear.

Signs of Progress
Have patience and do your practice systematically. Every action has a reaction. It is not possible for you to meditate and not receive benefits. You may not notice those benefits now, but slowly and gradually you are storing the samskaras (impressions) in the unconscious mind that will help you later. If you sow a seed today, you don’t reap the fruit tomorrow, but eventually you will. It takes time to see results; be gentle with yourself.

Meditation means gently fathoming all the levels of your being, one level after another. Be honest with yourself. Don’t care what others say about their experiences—keep your mind focused on your goal. It is your own mind that does not allow you to meditate. To work with your mind, you’ll have to be patient; you’ll have to work with yourself gradually.

Some of the most important benefits of meditation make themselves known gradually over time and are not dramatic or easily observed.

At first you may see progress in terms of physical relaxation and emotional calmness. Later you may notice other, more subtle changes. Some of the most important benefits of meditation make themselves known gradually over time and are not dramatic or easily observed. Persist in your practice and you will find that meditation is a means of freeing yourself from the worries that gnaw at you. Then you are free to experience the joy of being fully present, here and now.

4 Ways to Improve your Meditation

The mind is the greatest of all mysteries. Upon unveiling this mystery, all mysteries are unveiled. The mind is the source of all misery and happiness. It is the source of both bondage and liberation. The more you know about your mind, the greater the mastery you will have over the world around you.

Your whole life can be a meditation.

The mind is an energy field. It is the finest manifestation of nature. Nature has deposited its entire bounty—all potentials, capacities, and intelligence—in the mind. The mind is endowed with all creativity, imaginable and unimaginable. It has the capacity to create anything it wishes. It has enormous space to store its unlimited experiences and keep them as long as it likes.

The mind also has the capacity to fool itself. It can recollect its past deeds at will, or go on living in a state of forgetfulness. It has the capacity to dwell on one single thought, one single idea, and one single object, or it can brood on multiple thoughts and ideas. The mind has the capacity to flow in the external world and go on running from one object to another. It also has the capacity to turn its face away from the external world, and flow inwardly toward the center of consciousness. It can function as the best friend of the body and soul, or behave like their worst enemy. Therefore, nothing in life is more important than understanding your own mind and its relationship to oneself and the outside world.

To learn to know yourself, you need to take a few minutes for yourself every day. Many people think that meditation is the right solution, and I agree, but most people understand only one part of meditation. In meditation, you sit down quietly and repeat your mantra. During that period your mind remains one-pointed, but after that your mind goes back again to its same previous grooves. This is not the full process of meditation; the full process of meditation is a whole-life process.

Meditation means to attend. It means paying attention to the whole of life. It should not be a strenuous act; it should not be forced. Your whole life can be one of meditation. From morning until evening you can meditate, either unconsciously or consciously, and if you do that meditation well, it will bring many benefits.

People often ask how they can do this. My method is to ask myself to consider some question that is on my mind. Once, when I was young, my master asked me to consider where I got my questions. When I told him they came from within, he replied, “Then the answers are also there. I can give you the answers another way, but the answers are there.” So from wherever the questions arise, there are also the answers.

Early in the morning, right after I get up, I go to the bathroom and prepare for meditation, and then I sit down. This is the calmest period of the day, when my mind is quiet. Everyone’s mind remains calm at this time, because at that hour the mind is not so external in its focus. I ask my mind what I have to do, and then I set up a dialogue with myself.

When all the thoughts have gone through my mind, then I start to remember my mantra. You often try to remember your mantra from the very beginning, but there are thoughts waiting for your consultation and you do not pay attention to them. So the thoughts are coming and going in your mind while you are trying to repeat your mantra, and the more the thoughts come, the more you repeat your mantra. The result is an inner battle. That is not helpful; you need not do that. If you use the technique described here regularly and faithfully, and apply it sincerely, you will be able to really enjoy your meditation.

Meditation is important. But preparation for meditation, the cultivation of an attitude of readiness for meditation, an awareness of what you should do after meditation, and an understanding of how you should continue this meditation during the whole day, are also important. You need to put this teaching into practice in your daily life.

1. Engage in Self-Dialogue

At the very beginning of your meditation practice, have a gentle dialogue with your mind. Sit down quietly and ask yourself, “What do I want?”

At the very beginning of your meditation practice, have a gentle dialogue with your mind. Sit down quietly and ask yourself, “What do I want?” You will learn many things when you enter into this kind of self-dialogue. You will come in contact with your inner states. You will learn about the subtle aspects of your mind, your own conscience—and you will see that you are training yourself in the process.

The aim of your self-dialogue should not be primarily related to the things you have been doing in your life, at your office, or in your family. Your task is to cultivate a positive relationship with your mind—a relationship in which questions about the purpose of life can be fruitfully raised. You must ask yourself what your purpose is. Otherwise, you are killing the inner teacher within you, and this is the greatest of all sins in life.

Let your mind be a friend. When you talk to a friend you accept some things and do not accept others. Establish a relationship with your mind on the same basis, and do not listen to the mind’s temptations. Listen to its suggestions, good ideas, and advice, and learn to observe what type of mind you have.

When you do this, you will find that there are two types of desires: the simple daily wants, and the higher desires. The two types of desires are mingled together. When you sit down to meditate, you think, “I need this thing; I need that thing; my car is old; I want a new car.” These are mundane things, but do not allow yourself to suppress these desires by reacting: “Oh, what am I thinking? I should not think like that!” That is not helpful; instead, let the thoughts come before you, and become an observer of your own mind. Do not try to escape; do not be afraid of your thinking, no matter what kind of thought arises.

Every time you sit to meditate, first remember the spiritual power of your practice. Recall the strength of the meditative traditions that inspire you. Examine yourself sincerely and ask yourself if you want to meditate, to explore, to know yourself, and to form new habits of living. Then, inspect within to see what is good and what is not good for your practice. Ask yourself if the thought that is coming to you is helpful for your meditation or not. In this way, your meditation will be guided by the higher forces within you—and not led off into fantasies and wish-fulfillments.

There are three aspects to a human being: animal, human, and divine. The human being is like an angel that has fallen down. He is distracted by the charms and temptations of the world, and identifies himself with them, thus forgetting his essential nature. The goal of introspection is to see the images in the mind through the lens of the divine—and thereby restore the knowledge of one’s essential nature.

2. Practice Witnessing

Often, although you start to inspect within, you do not have the capacity to continue. You are swayed by your thoughts and identify yourself with your thought patterns. The wisdom to decide what is useful in the mind is not there. If you have not cultivated your spiritual resolve, your sankalpa shakti, then you will discover that your thoughts control you. You will see that you are far too easily distracted by the images that come into your mind. Your mind will create many fantasies and images, one after another. These images—the objects of imagination—are the result of what you have known, heard, thought, studied, or fantasized about.

When thoughts arise, you either start to worry or start to enjoy your imagination. So the first lesson is to simply allow thoughts to arise and then to go away.

When thoughts arise, you either start to worry or start to enjoy your imagination. Both kinds of thoughts are actually the imagination at play. Do not form the habit of merely enjoying your thinking process and indulging in it without bringing it to action; such daydreaming is dangerous. Many people do that; they enjoy and indulge in their imagination, but that is not the same as creative imagination. Creative imagination is that process by which you imagine something, and then when it is helpful you allow it to be expressed through your actions.

So the first lesson in this practice is to simply allow thoughts to arise and then to go away. The second is to bring back before yourself that which is important. The thoughts that are colored by your interest are those that motivate you to act, and not all thoughts have that power. Not all of your thoughts need external expression, so allow them to arise, decide if they are creative or helpful, and then later express those that are useful.

Your thoughts are not mere thoughts; they are people—identities within you. You are a world in yourself. You are a universe, and all your thoughts are people. Just as people are born and die, so too, thoughts are born and die. Some thoughts create great grooves or imprints in your mind. They live on in the unconscious. Those thoughts are called samskaras.

The unconscious mind is the vast reservoir of all of our experiences of the past. The subtle impressions of our every thought, speech, and action are deposited in our unconscious mind. It is nature’s most comprehensive database. Nothing in this aspect of the mind is inert and dead, and yet, we call it the unconscious mind. Why? Because people do not normally have conscious access to this part of their own mind, nor are they aware of what lies within it.

This so-called unconscious mind is like the basement of your house where years ago you stored your belongings, but for a long time you haven’t had a chance to visit. Over the years, you even forgot what you had stored there. In this long interval, your basement flooded several times, the plumbing and electrical systems became dysfunctional, and mice and other animals took over the space.

Today, you have a hard time entering this dark and musty basement. You have neither the convenience nor the capacity to take an inventory of your long-deposited belongings. For all practical purposes, you have abandoned your basement, but it is still your basement. Long-forgotten belongings sitting in your basement are your belongings. When you move to your next house, it is your responsibility to dispose of those belongings or to take them with you.

In either case, you have to enter your basement. You cannot escape your past. You cannot escape the fruits of your past deeds. You must face them. Your lack of awareness regarding the contents in the basement of your mind does not make those contents vanish. In your ignorance, you may go on proclaiming that they don’t exist, but sooner or later, reality hits. Then you realize that the vast storehouse of your past, in its own right, is fully conscious, very actively alive. Those impressions exert their influence on you, regardless of whether you are awake or asleep, conscious or unconscious.

You can eliminate those thoughts if you know how. You can obtain freedom from your samskaras, from the impressions that you have stored in the storehouse of merits and demerits, the unconscious mind. You have the power to do that. If you could not, then human endeavor would be of no use.

Quite often, we know what is right and yet we do not feel motivated to do it. We also know what is wrong but we do not know how to stop doing it. This happens because the contents in the unconscious mind keep influencing our conscious mind—its thoughts, feelings, and behaviors. It is only when we begin to meditate that we realize how vast our unconscious mind is and how potent are its contents. To understand the mystery of life and bring a lasting transformation within and without, we have to dive deep into the depths of our own unconscious mind. The process that allows you to peek into your unconscious mind is called self-study or introspection.

To understand your unconscious mind, you have to be alert and observant and work with yourself gradually. Do not be harsh with yourself. The mind is like a river; you cannot stop its thinking. If you try to create a kind of dam or reservoir in it for some time, like a beaver trying to stop the flow of the river, eventually there will be a great disaster. So do not try to stop or suppress your thinking. That’s a bad way to try to understand or control your mind.

The way to work with intruding thoughts is to let each one come, whether it is good or bad, and become an observer. Start observing your own mind. Simply decide that whatever comes, you will not be disturbed. Realize that this thought, whatever it is, cannot disturb your whole life. To think otherwise means that you believe you are weak and that the thought is powerful. When you become accustomed to witnessing, you can develop the habit of being more balanced, of losing your destructive sensitivity and reactivity to both positive and negative things.

3. Obtain Your Own Grace

To truly witness your thoughts you will need to travel even further toward the source of life and light within you. Your mind is the finest instrument of your personality, and yet you will discover with practice that the mind is not everything; something else gives power to the mind.

There is a source that you cannot see with the mind. At some moment you will learn to leave behind body consciousness, breath consciousness, sense consciousness, mind consciousness—and finally go beyond all of them. At such a moment, you no longer identify yourself with the objects of your mind or the objects of the world. That moment reveals a state of equilibrium, of tranquility. In that state you become the inner witness, not through some internal self-effort, but because that is who you are.

There are four types of grace. The grace of the guru, the grace of the scriptures, and the grace of that which is divine are the first three. But these three help you only if you have your own grace. Now, however, your state of mind is enveloped by dust. If you simply shake off the dust, your mind will be clean, so you should make a sincere effort.

When you have made effort with all your strength and willpower, help comes from above. That is the descending force. When you have used all your own ascending force, then the descending force of grace comes. The grace of the Divine is light. The sun is there, the moon is there, and all the lights of the world are there. The moment you obtain your own grace, this divine grace is there as well.
The path leading to such heights is the path of the inner journey. Embarking on this journey you will learn to know yourself and the unknown levels of your life. It will make you creative and brilliant. It will lead you to the silence from where wisdom flows, that fountain of life and light that flows with all its majesty. If you know how to use the mind you can be successful within and without. Then you can really learn to enjoy life. Then life is complete.

4. Revitalize Your Practice

If you want to become a serious student of meditation, the first thing that you have to learn is to get out of bed the moment you wake up.

If you want to develop your mind and become a serious student of meditation, the first thing that you have to learn is to get out of bed the moment you wake up. If you are awake, but you remain in bed, it is because there is a coloring of tamas, laziness or inertia, in your personality. Your mind will say, “Oh, it’s Sunday, I don’t have to work, let me stay in bed.” That’s a bad way of training yourself; it’s a bad way of teaching your mind. Regardless of whether it’s Sunday or Monday, you should get up. Otherwise, you are wasting time and energy, and at the same time you are forming a bad habit that affects you on both the physical and mental levels.

Rise, wash, and finish your morning ablutions—and then do something useful. Do not remain idle and inert. Lethargy and sloth result from not doing things on time, not forming habits which are helpful to you, or not having control over your appetites. Training the physical habits in this way has a direct result in training the mind.

This is an important secret of life: if you remain idle without doing something useful, your mind thinks scattered and random thoughts, and wastes its energy. A thought is like an unripened fruit that is not yet eaten by anyone. Ripening the fruit means bringing a positive thought into action. Those who are great, successful, creative, and dynamic know how to bring all their good thoughts into action, and how to give shape and form to their creative thinking process.

Positive, dynamic people conduct their duties well because they have established coordination between their thoughts, speech, and action. Do not be afraid of the word “discipline,” because to make progress you need to train yourself. In this kind of training, books can’t help you; nothing external can help you. You have to understand yourself. You need to ask yourself how you think, why you are emotional, and what the problems are with your mind. You need to consider why you often do not do what you really want to do. Put these questions to yourself, and you’ll find the answers.

Through such training and self-discipline you can truly understand yourself. And when you apply all your resources, intelligence, and understanding to exploring your interior self—the modifications of your mind and your internal states—it will be a fascinating experience.

Source : http://yogainternational.com/article/view/4-ways-to-improve-your-meditation

Well it seems there is discussion into whether Guru Nanak Dev ji was God himself....
if there is discussion about it then people are wondering if he was or wasn't

Only God exists...Gurbani is very clear about it...therefore Guru Nanak Dev ji was....
therefore We all are...therefore everything is...

only our Ego gives us a feeling of being seperate...Ego is amazing in that it allows the experience of the 'many' and allows us to have so many experiences as a seperate entity (illusion)...but problem is in this age Ego is stronger than the knowledge of 'God is the only entity' ... therefore majority of people question Gods existance...and run around aimlessly..

Ego has us fooled and Ego makes us forget of who we really are (God...all of us, and everything, and everything beyond...unlimited)

therefore the Question of 'Was Guru Nanak God himself' is mute...He Was...because Ego was at a complete minimum and connection from the Ego (individual state) to the supreme state was 100% formed. We all have that capability...and thats what Simran is For..Simran - remembering...

Just my thoughts about what Gurbani states...nothing more..

I think the topic is going off track.

We are more on issues of men and women, rather than, what a Guru means. We think we elect gurus as in political elections for a particular period of time.

The true Guru is Shabad, the True Guru is Brahmgyani, the True Guru is Gurumukh, the True Guru is the Lord Himself.

And just as Wahiguru has no gender, it is His power, His level of Consciousness which works in that particular body.

It is like a battery, which works the same in a doll, as in the soldier. It is the energy of that battery which makes them work, not the otherwise, that the toys work better, as per how they were designed or the roles to play.

In a siimilar way, the physical body of a woman or the man is not the Guru, which by the way is the topic of this thread. The Guru is not perisahble, the bodies of men or women, are just a handful of dust .... So, as said, Guru, is a power, which can work out His duties at the best, in any conditions, He has no such limits, though limited in disguise, as He is in a physical body which is just a covering

The True Guru, works on the inner planes, to guide the souls back to their True Home, Sach Khand .

Outwardly He only inspires us, to love Him, by doing the real bhakti.

Last, but not the least, it is Wahiguru´s choice, it is His mauj, He can do what He feels like. As said, if He wanted, what to say about human beings, He can make even the stones carry out His Hukum...

So brothers and sisters, sangat, let us not argue on the mayavee coverings(bodies, genders), but pay attention, to what He says to us through those wadbhagee Gurmukhs(irrespective of genders).


To argue about genders of the True gurus, is to question Wahiguru Himself.

Is that not shameful? Our manmukhta, has no limits .....

As long as the creation exists, either men or women, both shall continue to be imperfect beings, only by doing the real bhakti and elevating our consciousness to His level, shall we become perfect, then there shall be no arguments, that men this, or women that, because then, only He will exist.

Sat Sree Akal.

thanks Satji. Veerji voice can really make one go into bharaig even though I am busy preparing my work and not 100% listening to the shabad.

I have been looking for this video forever to share with anyone who does simran. Bhia Sewa Singh Ji Tarmala answers so many hard question we have on how to do simran,how we came into this life,what is Waheguru,how to we meet him, what is maya, how to open dasam dwar and what jugtis to use. Bhai Sahib shares this knowledge from Sri Guru Granth Sahib Ji

This is a must for anyone on spiritual path. It is over 4 hours long, you can click on the youtube channel to find this same video cut into smaller parts.

The following shabad is one of my highly inspire and motivational shabad. This shabad is at ang 1096 of Sri Guru Granth Sahib Jee Maharaj. When I am down (business wise) or facing negative/ obstacles, I will refer to this shabad. Today this shabad has become part of my life with each pangtis (lines) guiding me in my different principles of my life.


Pauree

Jaa thoo maerai val hai thaa kiaa muhashandhaa.
When you are on my side, Lord, what do I need to worry about?


thudh sabh kish maino soupiaaa jaa thaeraa bandhaa
you entrusted everything to me, when I became Your slave.

Lakhamee thott n aavee khaae kharach rehandhaa
My wealth is exhaustible. no matter how much I spend and consume.

lakh chouraaseeh maedhanee sabh saev karandhaa.
the 8.4 million species of beings all work to serve me.

eaeh vairee mithr sabh keethiaa neh mangahi mandhaa
All these enemies have become my friends, and no one wishes me ill.

laekhaa koe n pushee jaa har bakhasandha
No one calls me to account, since God is my forgiver.

anandh bhaeiaa sukh paaeiaa mil gur govindhaa
I have become blissful, and I have found peace, meeting with the Guru, the Lord of the Universe.

sabhae kaaj savaariai jaa tudhh bhaavandhaa
All my affairs have been resolved, since You are pleased with me.

A Very Nice Reflection.

For Those, Who Do Not Speak Punjabi, Just Try To Read Slowly
And The Deep Meaning, Will Be Clear.

You Also Have A Translation.


Waheguru Ji, Jo Tusi Dita
God, That What You Have Given,

Te Jo Tusi Nahi Dita
And That What You Have Not Given

Te Jo De Ke Le Lita,
And That After Given, You Have Taken

Us Har Ik Gal Layi
For Each Such Thing,

Tuhada Shukar Hai,
Even Then, I Thank You

Kyu Ki Jo Tusi Dita
'Cause What You Gave Us

Oh Tuhadi REHMAT,
That Is Your Mercy

Jo Nahi Tita
And What You Did Not Give

Us Wich Saadi BHALAI,
It Was For Our Own Good

TE Jo De Ke Lai Lita
And That You Took Back, After Giving

Oh Saada IMTEHAN.
Is Our Test !!

Hey Waheguru Ji,
Oh Beloved God

Sanu Har Haal Wich Shuker Karna Sikhao Ji
Teach Us To Be Grateful To You Always

Dhan Guru Nanak Rakhi Laaj,
Merciful God, Has covered my Faults

Kisi De Na Hoiye Mohtaaj
May I Always Be Blessed And May I Never Be Dependent On Any One Else

Saanu Bas Teri Hee Aas
Only You, Are Our Only Hope

Satguru Rakhna Charna De Paas.
And, Beloved Guru, Keep Us At Your Lotus Feet!!


__________________

May We All Learn To Thank The Lord For What He Gives And Takes, As He Does All In
Our Interest.