Bhoolea bhatkea

The Guru of Baba Bullay Shah was planting Onions as Baba Bullay Shah approached his guru and asked the question, "How do I Find God?" Their Guru said with ease as he plucked the root of an onion out of the soil and planted it in the other field... "Bullia Rub tha ke Lubhna, Aeithro Putna, Aeither Launa". Uproot your thoughts from the world and plant them in God.

When a Deciple is Worthy, the Master himself comes to seek the Deciple.

A Sant started to scream and yell for help as he was in need for assitance. Few minutes passed by and a crowd had gathered around this Saint as he was continually asking for help.., "save me" he said, over and over again. The crowd looked at him in astonishment as he was glued to a tree hugging it as if it was running away or as others were coming to take it away from him. The saint continued to ask for help, to be saved from the tree. The Onlookes looked puzzled as the Saint himself was hugging the tree yet asking to be saved from it. After few moments had gone by, one man came forward and asked the sant, "what are you doing? You yourself are Hugging the tree yet asking to be Saved?? Simply let go...release your grip of the tree and you will be freed". The Saint release his grip and looked in the faces of the crowd and said, This is exactly your situation, you want to be freed from this world/maya yet you yourself are holding on to it. Simply Let GO.

First unhook the Stern line (the rope that holds the boat to the dock) as you make your Voyage across the ocean.

We have heard many a times, God is Love and Love is God.

Having said that, Wahiguru Akal Purukh is an Infinte Ocean of Love, of which the soul is a drop in essence.

So naturally the soul, at some time or other feels fed up from the mayavee creation, is restless and has a longing within to merge in its origin....

Saints throughout the history, have explained the relation between the soul and the Lord with diferent names, but with the same common factor as a link: Love.

Christ described the relation between the two as Father and Son.

Sree Ramakrishna as Mother and Son.

Others, as Master and devotee

And in the Bani, with quite a wider range of different names, each sweeter than the other to that same relation,:
Tum maat pitah, hum barik tere;
Him, addresed by the sikh/ soul as: Pyara Preetam, Mitter, Sajjan
As Purukh, just as an husband to the wife soul....

But the thing is, that sentiment of Love, has not to be expressed with mere words, it needs a force/action behind it.

We can not cheat Him.

Just as in between any loving relation, the main factor to draw and hold them closer, is the time factor.

So is the same with our beloved wahiguru Akal Purukh.

And it is by the means of devotion in the form of His Simran, stay near Him closely, and tell Him, in His language of Love, Wahiguru I love you the most alone.

It is from His Bhakti, that true love will be generated.

Outer Love, and faith are most welcome, but we people are so selfish , that at the slightest karmic jerk, we tremble and turn our faces from Him .....

But in His Bhakti, His Simran, He blesses us with His Daya Meher, and strenghtens that our fragile initial love for His Lotus Feet.

The Bani says: Anter Jot, Niranter Bani, Sachay Sahib siu Liv laaee.

This means, when one progesses a bit on the path of devotion within, there comes a time, when with His Grace, we see His Akhand Jot and His melodious Voice as Anhad Shabad.

And as the Bani says, when we reach that stage, our kachha(weak) prem is converted into Pakka(solid strong) prem . Then no matter what may come or happen, we shall not waver.

Then too, we must keep in mind, we are not all at the same stgaes, each one of us has our own past sanskaras, karmas , kamaee...

While some do not believe at all, others are satisfied with rituals, symbolisims, dogmas, pilgrimages, fastings, yog, jap, tap, bathing in so called holy waters.... still a fewer, will take the Bani as Sat Bachan, and put into action what our Guru Sahibans have said in the Bani left for us, by laying supreme importance to His Simran, as the key to enter the spiritual realms and reach our destiny Wahiguru Akal Purukh.

You see, the teachings of Gurmat are the same for all the beings, but then the relation with Him, is different with each being. Wahiguru loves all as equal, but we manmukhs, are solely responsible for getting nearer to Him , or going away from Him, with our attitude in life, with our karmas, with our thoughts of benevolence towards all....

Only by starting being good here, can we expect to become wholly good as Him, in order to merge in Him.

There is a saying, knowledge has no limits ... so I think, if anyone here posts some type of techniques to improve one´s concentration, one`s attention within, there is no harm, rather we should welcome them, as maybe for sure, to most of us, it going to be helpful at some time.

Some people are more intelectual, so they need this type of explanations, some are blessed devotees, to them His Name is most sweet and lovely, they need no other knowledge, for them His name is channting, jap, tap, technique and everything.

So as long as we are not confused and apply ourselves diligently and faithfully to our comfort levels, all infomation regarding spirituality is most welcome.

Anyhow, needless to say, He is the center of everything. Everything revolves around Him. So anything we do, if that takes us nearer to Him, it is o.k, if it leads us to just mere intelllectualism and haume, then better leave it.

As long as any practice takes our attention within, fine, if it entagles us with maya and mind...then it is not good. There are some noble souls here doing a preety good job, by trying to give their best as humans beings in giving a helping hand to the best of their abilities.... That is selfless sewa, and it is praise worthy....

May Wahiguru´s blessings be on them, and all the rest always, it is an Ardas from this das, at His Lotus Feet.

Sat Sree Akal.

how does the love for another person develop? can we sit in a pose, do some yoga, breathing techniques to start loving someone?
it kinda just happens doesn't it? just develops from within...but maybe if we don;t spend much time with that person we don;t give the opportunity for that love to blossom...so we need to put some dyaan, attention to that person...

if we are already contemplating Waheguru, we already have his grace...so we have walked up to the stair case, and we need to decide to walk up or stay on that level.

also, if you have any Dukh/pain in your life...tell your Ego which makes your Dukh even worse...that it is not in Control of this life...
most people will get upset through Dukh, blame the world, get depressed because they realize they cannot control the life situation and their Ego gets them blaming the world and falling further into darkness...they look for solutions in the outer world 'only'...trying to understand why the dukh has occured and how to solve...

the true warrior uses the Dukh to surrender to Waheguru Will, to turn the Dukh into a blessing that helps destroys ones Ego...We fall at waheguru's feet (mentally), Ego reduces and the Love (waheguru) springs forth within your very being...

always good to keep some internal dialogue with Waheguru even if you think it is 'crazy'...keep reminding yourself that there is only really Waheguru....only Him...keep imagining that everyone around you is Waheguru and try to serve everyone equally...
the love will naturally develop...its guaranteed to

i think if someone is already trying, then they already have his grace...
the contemplating, the wondering of what is the truth of reality...it all happens within us...where is it coming from...? is it waheguru prodding us? trying to grab our attention?

the only twist we need to make is making sure this doesn't become a desire....a desire for spiritual experiences etc...a desire to become different, better than someone else...to then get pride in our spiritual advancements.

when we experience true love with someone else...true love is selfless...we do something not for our own selves (for spiritual advancement, for spiritual experiences) ... but we do something for someone else selflessly, for them, to serve them, to help them. to put their needs before ours...And maybe that is what we need to do....to surrender...and say "waheguru, i am doing this for you...out of my love for you..to remember the truth, to remember you because the world is already so deeply lost in the illusion"

Gurbani says Simran is the greatest Seva that someone else can do...and Seva is Serving others...and therefore Simran is only to Server Waheguru (the universe, everything in it and beyond)

Sahib,

I am coming to the realisation enough of the theory for the time being. It is time to put into practice what I already know and get back to basics. So much has already been posted on this forum in terms of techniques and details of the path that lies ahead. It is time to put in some serious effort and spend the time doing actual simran. Reading alone and the gyan gained will not lead to realisation of the ultimate truth. For that one has to make some effort and practice and leave the rest to his grace.

I personally feel it's time to put the books and websites down for a bit and spend that time doing the practical simran instead. If I look back at the time I have spent reading about the subject, if I had spent even half of that time doing actual simran the story to tell might have been a whole lot different. The gyan gained over the past months has given a solid foundation and a little more clarity and confidence about what to do on the path of shabad/gurmantar surat yog. You can be told the same thing in so many different ways by different people but unless you put in a serious amount of focused effort oneself this gyan will be worthless.

When I now look back, I find the biggest progress was made when I didn't know much. I simply did what I was told and just did my simran focusing on the gurmantar and the experiences started themselves. It was only when I tried to get ahead of myself and started researching deeply into the path and what lies ahead or what to do I lost some of that momentum. The fascination of learning took precedence over doing the practical and that I see as my own short coming. Don't get me wrong I'm not saying one should not learn about the marg, the knowledge helps you identify if your taking any wrong turns and confirms if what you are experiencing can be expected. It also shines some light to the unknown path ahead so when another experience manifests or you have an inkling what the next step of the path involves you are not entirely taken by surprise and knocked off your balance. Going too much beyond your own practical experience level is somewhat pointless and is just a distraction. I have to admit it was all fascinating reading but when you do some serious inner reflection of where do you actually stand on the rungs of the ladder one realises that whist they might be able to see the rungs that go up, you have not actually climbed many yourself. It is time to walk that walk and not just talk the talk.

A mahapursh once said in that regard, the unpar/uneducated make progress far more quickly then the educated. The simple folk just accept they have to do the gurmantar and just get on with it. The educated starting bringing their analytical mind and start asking too many questions and try and use their own reasoning to explain certain things which may or may not give you the right answer. The quest for knowledge and answers itself becomes an obstacle that needs to be overcome. I am slowly beginning to see the wisdom in these words.

By all means if you feel there are relevant teachings of this person whom you recommend then feel free to share share some of his gems. I am sure they will be much appreciated if they are not too contradictory to the teachings of spiritual Sikhi and the inner journey.

Here is rough translation:

First stage of simran, according to Gurmat, is to bring one’s scattered attention back. Normally it is absorbed in thoughts therefore to help bring the mind back within various points are given to help focus the mind.

Each syllable of the Gurmatar is chanted at the following points with focus/dhyaan.
Wa – Rasna/Mouth
He – Hirda/ Heart Centre/ Sunn state is also knows as Hirda when the Mind becomes pure.
Gu – Nabi / Navel / belly button / Nab Ghat where the breath originates from. There is also a knot here between the physical (astool) and non-physical (sookham) bodies via the breath. It will also be a point later on where we will come to and sit/aasan the mind.

SGGS Quote:
The breath is seated in the home of the navel; the Gurmukh searches, and finds the essence of reality.
naabh pavan ghar aasan baisai gurmukh khojat tat lahai.

This Shabad permeates the nucleus of the self, deep within, in its own home; the Light of this Shabad pervades the three worlds.
so sabad nirantar nij ghar aachhai taribhavan jot so sabad lahai.

Ru – Dharan (About 2 inches below the navel). This is the one end of the sukhman channel which has two ends. This is where parkash and Brahm Agan/fire manifest/pargat. FYI - Other end is the trikuti. ;-)

When your mind becomes free from thoughts then know that you have completed the first stage.

Now you have made the route in a down up motion, then when the breath goes in/down (i.e. Inhale) chant "Wahe" when you breath out to the Gagan/Sky (i.e. Exhale) chant "Guru". When you do simran this way again and again and when the mind looses its awareness of the body; mind separates (ateet) from the shabad and from the air/paun and when your surti begins to connect with the shabad (Shabad-Surat da mehl) then know that you have reached the stage of Swas-Giras simran.

After this when the shabad and surti merge, and when the surti breaks it's connection from the air then we need to start rom-rom simran. This is done in shej by putting the attention/surti on the heart beat (Dill Di Dharkan a.k.a Pulse). Then as the heart pumps the blood around the veins of the body in this way the shabad will also be pumped around the body.

Then when rom-rom becomes established, internal amrit drops start. It will feel like cold drops falling on the bare skin even when there are no clouds in the air. Another experience is if you go where people are doing bhagti then your rahkha - think that is what he said) chakar will make roms and stand on end. Where ever you hear any sound it will appear as it too is japing WaheGuru WaheGuru WaheGuru for example a running fan. These are indicators that your rom-rom is working.

Then we need to head towards Shej state where only dhyan remains. Then ahead we are told how to open the gate which is closed due to the imbalance of the air flowing. Sometimes we breath more through the left nostril and others times we breath more from the right. The other is the imbalance in the eyes also knows as chand (moon) & sooraj (sun) which are doors that are closed on the inside. Also the mind is lost thoughts in the trai-gun (tamogun, rajogun, and satogun). When you go to sharan of Guru he/they will tell you how to balance all these. Once balanced the gate will open and parkash will manifest and then you can enter the nij mahal, your true home.

Then you go on and merge into the parkash.

Keep watch, as sometimes some people who go to Sants and have their minds made unstable because the stay awake more during the night and day because they keep their Gyan Indriyas (5 senses – Sight, Hearing, Smell, Touch, Taste) awake because they try and do more jaap and simran. Guru Nanak’s way is different. If a person does loads of bhagti and stays awake for too long like staying awake for a few days then eventually the mind goes mental for which doctors do not have a remedy.

Quite a lot of people due to ignorance tread on this path in the wakeful/jagrath state with this wish to read this much bani, do this much simran etc. Guru Nanak’s Dev Ji's way is:

Eradicating the three qualities, dwell in the fourth state. This is the unparalleled devotional worship.
tarai gun maytay cha-uthai vartai ayhaa bhagat niraaree.

This is the Yoga of the Gurmukh: Through the Shabad, he understands his own soul, and he enshrines within his heart the One Lord.
gurmukh jog sabad aatam cheenai hirdai ayk muraaree.

In this way the mind needs to be awakened. The mind will be awakened when you enter the state of Sunn more quickly. When you leave behind the giyan indaries (5 senses) and fall asleep. Then the mind will come out again of Sunn again so take it back into the Sunn state and make it sit in the Sunn. When it merges in the Sunn it will eventually be awakened by the Shabad. It will eventually begin to look inwards at the play within, like it looks outwards today. Therefore do not stay awake too much via the giyan indaries.

Then due to ignorance when mind goes on the path of Shej and is awakened then eventually the Lord speaks and there is a very loud blast/tumbhakha. For example when a plane takes off, the blast/roar from the engine can break the glass from doors and windows. In this way when the Lord roars inside you it is louder. If one does not know this and one has not done rom-rom simran then the Mind cannot withstand it and the mind can be made unstable.

By following the stages outlined when the Lord speaks and rom-rom is manifest and one is in Shej, then he has the power to withstand it in the body. The first time it happens to a person he is shaken because it happens unexpectedly, but if one has knowledge, when the Lord speaks then he has the power/shakti to handle it in the body. Therefore on the journey anytime the Lord can speak to you and it will feel like the head is going explode, like the roof has flown off because the sound is so loud. At this time don’t panic, sometimes even light can also manifest. Just think the Lord has spoken and has come to the level of our mind in our body.

Like the pangtis:

The Panch Shabad, the Five Primal Sounds, vibrate with the Wisdom of the Guru`s Teachings; by great good fortune, the Unstruck Melody resonates and resounds.
panchay sabad vajay mat gurmat vadbhaagee anhad vaji-aa.

I see the Lord, the Source of Bliss, everywhere; through the Word of the Guru`s Shabad, the Lord of the Universe is revealed.
aanad mool raam sabh daykhi-aa gur sabdee govind gaji-aa.

Therefore don’t stay awake too much, stay in the dhyaan state. Ahead when there is Parkash, you go and sit in Truth/Sach, sometimes the Lord wants to speak with you and comes and awakens you and calls out you. Here one does not talk themselves until Waheguru himself calls out to you within. When he does call out to you, then you are in the awakened/jagrath state, you are in front of one another, then you can talk about whatever you wish.

In this way the place with Gost/Conversation takes place is ahead of Amritsar, where there is parkash of the jyot where the Lord is in the Shej ghar himself, where the Gurmukh’s go and talk with the Lord.

In this way, Gurmukhs are to do as much simran in the first and second stages so the thoughts stop and the wall of dirt is knocked down.

Gurbani starts all from the Dhiyan stage. When our dhiyan goes inwards, from inwards it starts to awaken and then from here is where the play starts which is what Gurbani tells us about. Therefore try and awaken the mind, go to the sharan of the Guru and do naam abhyaas is vital.

Then he goes through the example of Wa-He-Gu-Ru. With practice it becomes very intoxicating and mind begins to go within. With practice the Gu-Ru part can be said internally. It will forget about the body and giyan indaries and head towards Sunn.

Then he goes on to explain the Swas-Giras technique “Wahe-Guru”.

If you do this regularly you will quickly go into Sunn and amrit ras will begin to drizzle internally.

From the True Guru, contemplative meditation is obtained.
satgur tay paa-ay veechaaraa.
And then, one dwells with the True Lord in His celestial home, the Primal State of Absorption in Deepest Samaadhi.
sunn samaaDh sachay ghar baaraa.

'Sat Sree Akal Ibrute jee,
just one thing to be kept in mind:
The efforts are in one's hand to an extent, but the clicking you mention above, is in His hands.
Our duty is just to lay at His door as kookars...it is His  "mauj" as per how or when to open. 
So my advise is never ever leave His door, even if one's life goes away in doing His bhakti.
 Our concern in this spiritual matter, is only to stay  at all times in His "bhaana"
Sat Sree Akal.

Good question and I believe this is where a lot of weight is actually held.
Personally, I feel that if you have a strategy of some sort that has some end factor or wish for worldly desire, then this can be or will be a spiritual hindrance.
A gurmukh assured me and was pretty certain that I made progress in my simran a little more rapidly because my intentions were purely out of love, without any worldly wishes or desires. It was for approaching the path with a strong belief that this was the purpose of my birth, life and the breaths that I take. Only the dhan (wealth of naam) of where my breaths are spent is what I shall leave this illusion with.
 
I know we have 'ardas'.. and people will argue ''what is ardas for then if I can't ask for peace, happiness,..job satisfaction, education..".....etc..
But then ask yourself "are you really walking in gurmat hukam or his bhana"?
I know it's difficult to answer and I can't tell anyone what to wish or not wish for either. ....and love can't be forced- so you can't really force yourself to delve into simran because you want to prove you have love for God. You either have the deepest love through realization or you don't....-can't be bought or forced.
He is antarjami and the inner-knower......My ardas is always for guidance, protection and shakti/power/energy in order to do his sift salah.
I strongly ask in every ardas for 'forgiveness'.- forgiveness, for mistakes I maybe aware of and those that I may not. Along with this, I also ardas for greater awareness, so that I am able to see my own faults in order to accept them. (you wold be surprised just how many faults of your own can come before your very eyes, years and years later)
It's the love that makes you walk in hukam and hukam is actually a stronger feeling of knowing you are walking in the Truth....  It's very difficult to explain this feeling of hukam............and because you know he is the antarjami, then you have more than enough faith that he will continually arrange the path in front of you. 24/7.. All he asks is that you try deal with daily battles of 5 dhoots.....do this, and he will take care of the rest and ensure you are fed and clothed.
Maya is the illusion, we should focus and direct our energies to the purest sat or truth within. ...in doing so the illusion will take care of itself.
That's my take on it... it may show ignorance and may not be the right one..... But that is what I feel at these moments of where I am in life. The future may well prove me wrong,

10 Tips for Reducing Distractions in Meditation
 
The attainment of one-pointedness of the mind and senses is the best of  practices—superior to all.
—Sri Shankaracharya, A Thousand Teachings, 8th century 
For most meditators one-pointed concentration is a goal, but not a reality. We do our best to manage distractions when they arise, yet often find them managing us instead. One way of handling distractions is to let them pass without giving them new energy. In the process, our concentration is naturally strengthened. But sometimes it helps to spend a moment identifying the sources of our distractions, because in the sorting-out process, we learn to better understand ourselves. We witness the mental and emotional attachments that linger within us, and weaken their hypnotic power to distract us. 
Our concentration, though improving, is still interrupted by thoughts and images from far-flung corners of our consciousness.
Over 20 centuries ago, in his commentary on the Yoga Sutra of Patanjali, the sage Vyasa listed five states of mind related to the concentration process, each revealing something about the power of distraction. A mind can be: 
disturbed and thrown about (kshipta) stupefied and bewildered (mudha) distracted (vikshipta) one-pointed (ekagra) fully arrested in concentration (niruddha)  Vyasa set the bar high. He pointed out that the first two states of mind are not fit for concentration at all. Why? Because a disturbed mind cannot shake the agitations that haunt it. And a stupefied mind is worse. It mistakes something debilitating, such as an addiction or an obsession, as rewarding and beneficial—bewildering itself in the process. 
Even for such minds, there is hope. The eight rungs of yoga include practices for those who are stuck in the first two states of mind. For those of us struggling with addictions or other fierce attachments, the yamas (“restraints,” such as non-harming), niyamas (“observances,” such as contentment), yoga postures, relaxed breathing, and systematic relaxation can help. Spending several months or longer practicing these rungs will help bring order and self-control to the mind.
Most meditators, however, inhabit the third state of mind (distracted) and are aiming to get to the fourth state (one-pointed). Our concentration, though improving, is still interrupted by thoughts and images from far-flung corners of our consciousness. We wonder whose turn it is to vacuum. We complain about the colour of the paint on the wall. We ponder what the neighbours should name their new baby. In no particular order, here’s my list of meditation’s top ten distractions and some practical tips for resolving them. 
1. Processing Recent Thoughts. At the beginning of any meditation the most common distraction is the thought you were having just before beginning to meditate. If you have been watching a movie, you’ll see memorable scenes from it. If you were working on your checking account, it’s the missing check or the unexpectedly large balance that will occupy your thoughts. The mind needs time to process current thoughts before turning to meditation. It may be helpful to give the mind a moment for them. Then move on.
2. Following Random Thoughts. In his book Confessions, St. Augustine complained that even when he was deep in thought, his mind could be distracted by inconsequential events. While horseback riding, he might catch sight of a dog chasing a rabbit, and off his mind would go—following the chase, if only in his imagination. Augustine lamented, “…in how many of the most minute and trivial things my curiosity is still daily tempted, and who can keep the tally of how often I succumb?” In a similar way, if we are not attentive, when an innocuous thought occurs in meditation, we may find ourselves pursuing it and its associations for minutes on end. In meditation, remind yourself from time to time that you are meditating. If you realize you have gotten sidetracked, simply come back to your focus. 
3. The Song in Your Head. Certain distractions have staying power, like tunes that play over and over in your mind. That ’60s lyric of Bobby Vee, “like a rubber ball, I’ll come bouncing back to you,” captures the idea perfectly. The resilience of repetitive thoughts makes them feel obsessive. But relax your breathing, settle into your meditation, and in a short time the offensive visitor will be gone.
4. Pain. Physical pain causes thoughts associated with it to circle round and round. Strategies for relieving pain preoccupy half of the circle, while pain itself fills the other. A better approach to managing pain is to join with it—to inspect it without fear or malice. Think to yourself: “To the best of my ability, let me be with this pain and learn from it.” It is especially important to maintain relaxed diaphragmatic breathing to accomplish this task. Since breathing is agitated and constricted by pain, you can create a more supportive inner environment by relaxing your breath. In this way, even a mind in pain can meditate. Pain loses its ability to distract.
5. Sexual Fantasies. In the yoga tradition it is said that sex is a psychological urge as much as a physical one. Unlike other urges, the pleasure of sex can be satisfied by thinking or dreaming about it. This makes it a particularly potent distraction. Sexual thoughts engage the part of the mind that finds satisfaction in imagination—not the higher mind. The good news is that sexual energy can be sublimated in meditation. When it is, its agitating quality is transformed. But how? Stillness and a patient focus on breathing—on the energetic qualities of inhaling and exhaling—are an important key to managing steamy fantasies. As you exhale, feel the pleasant sensations that accompany the emptying of the lungs. Then, as you fill the lungs, feel the nurturing sensations of the inhalation. Patiently feel each breath and let your nervous system quietly relax. 
When sleepiness persists, hold on to the sensations of your breath. It will keep you present when all else is vanishing.
6. Dozing Off. It’s not uncommon for beginning meditators to imagine themselves to be awake during a guided meditation, when in fact they are snoring loudly enough to disturb a classroom full of students. Strange, dreamlike images (hypnagogic imagery) distract the mind, and consciousness itself becomes fuzzy, sliding almost inevitably toward sleep. When meditation is over, the sleeping meditator may claim to have heard all the instructions of the teacher, when, in fact, none of them registered. These are desperate times in meditation. The whole edifice of practice—consciousness itself— is caving in. When sleepiness persists, hold on to the sensations of your breath. It will keep you present when all else is vanishing. 
7. The Myth of Silence. In the yoga tradition, meditators use a mantra as their object of concentration. The mind rests in the sound of the mantra, which in turn fills the mind. But legend has it that in meditation, the mind becomes silent. Thus, it seems likely to some meditators that mantra recitation is a relatively simple practice that should be abandoned soon after it is started. Although the thought, “It’s time to stop the mantra,” may seem reasonable, it is really a distraction. Quiet and inward as it is, meditation is a discipline. We are training the mind to rest in a one-pointed focus. Attaining silence of the mind does not mean abandoning the mantra, for that causes the mind to lose its focus. Silence in meditation is something much deeper; it is a silence of the inner, witnessing mind. Any hope of reaching such silence depends upon completely resting the mind in the mantra, and then letting the inner witness awaken. Stay with your mantra in meditation and let your doubts about concentration go. 
8. Emotions and Desires. The file drawers of memory contain our wants, wishes, and desires. Like cues entered into a computer search engine, these states of desire (kama) spawn endless thoughts. “Do not like, do not dislike; all will then be clear,” advised the Chinese Buddhist master Seng-Ts’an. “Let nothing disturb thee, nothing affright thee. All things are passing…” was St. Teresa of Avila’s version. Despite such wise advice, we often identify with our desires and feed them new energy in the quiet of meditation. While it can be difficult not to do this, the act of meditating is specially designed to help us remain centered in the face of such emotional agitation. Neither suppressing desires nor blindly acting on them will help. To enhance concentration, allow thoughts to discharge their emotional energy, and refrain from adding to them—that’s the key. 
9. An Unsettled Posture. A variety of distracting thoughts result from one simple source—the way we sit. If your posture is not quite right in the beginning of your practice, imperfections will be magnified as time passes. Common problems include clothing that binds at the back of the knees, an improper support for the hips, discomfort in the hips or ankles, loss of circulation to the feet, rounding in the lower back, sharp pain in the upper back, discomfort in the shoulder joints, and neck pain. Since the urge to fix these problems will only increase as you continue to sit, it may make sense to promptly interrupt your meditation to make adjustments. Correct your posture, provide better support for your hips, or rearrange your clothes as necessary. Over time, you may need to address misalignments in your sitting posture through a balanced asana practice. 
When a needy ego lies behind a distracting thought, its subtle influence can be hard to recognize.
10. Ego. Woven into the fabric of many an internal dialogue is an over-sized ME. What do I want? When will my needs be understood? What will this do for me? When a needy ego lies behind a distracting thought, its subtle influence can be hard to recognize. Yet the ego is a source of distraction—for under its sway, we see only ourselves and not the Self that dwells more deeply in us. Nine hundred years ago the Sufi mystic Ibn al-’Arabi wrote intriguingly of the ego’s limitation and of the path leading beyond it: 
When my Beloved appears,
With what eye do I see him?
With His eye, not with mine,
For none sees Him except Himself. 
The solution to the inordinately loud and distracting voice of ego is trustful surrender (also known as the niyama Ishvara pranidhana)—a willingness to see things through “His eye,” not ours. It is trustful surrender that shelters us and keeps us safe from ourselves. By making our ego small, and by finding comfort in humility, we come closer to the aim of meditation. Distractions gradually pass and we rest in a more stable state of concentration—in the presence of our innermost Being.

a good place to work towards is dasvandh of your time...so 2.5 hours of the day...
i have been working towards that amount of time...obviously some days it is difficult because tiredness and sleep take over. but that's not a bad thing...need to listen to your body and rest...so that the next time you do simran mind is refreshed and more focused.
 
if you're doing almost 3 hours already then i think you should not really worry about the length of time you spend doing it...but rather the quality of the simran...
i have only reached greater lengths of time in Simran when i am pulled deeper within...then time doesn't seem to come up...only when i open my eyes do i realize how much time has gone...
 
some days 'IK MAN' is achieved within a few minutes...other days even after 2 hours of simran my mind is all over the place...
one thing that doesn't change is the longing deep within...as long as that is there...guru ji will come calling..
 

I've listened to this discourse in the past, but it's so refreshing to hear it again. Anyone who is interested in real Meditation, tips, how, where, or anything related to Meditation; please listen to this discourse. It's very good. Its long, but its better to argue over unimportant topics:
 
 

Sat Sree Akal,,
yes Pen Jee, you are right.... It is the mind who is playing mischief. This very mind, is a faithful agent of the Universal mind or Kal Purukh, who does not want the soul to go back to its Father´s home(Sach Khand)....

But we too are not less, we are in essence same as Wahiguru, we are His sikhs also, means His devotees, So by getting support of His Name, happen whatever it may, we should hold His name as our only anchor.

What can the worst happen? To die? So what? Well, even that would be a blessing, as it is said, if at the last moments of one´s life, we go where our thoughts are... So if we die doing His Simran, where shall we go? Naturally nowhere, but direct to Him, sooner or later.

So make yourself strong, do not give up, come whatever it may. You see, where His rememberance is, through His Simran, no disasters happen there...whatever evil maybe...it flees away, it can not stand the puruty of His Name.

Another point, you say, it is around 2 am, when you go through that scary phases, so, have you tried to change to any other time?
You see, we should leave no stone unturned to give our best, in the best conditions...The darkness of agyanta is within, it has nothing to do with outer time,so, try doing at other time, where you feel comforted, in the end, it is by His Naam alone, that our spiritual darkness will be removed, and His splendour will shine within us with full force....

Last, when one is sick(karmas, sanskaras), one does not like the taste of the medicine, but, we shall get cured only, by taking the daily regular doses of medicine(Naam Simran).

It is not a question of days or months....it is our love, which we have to offer at His Lotus Feet, through His Simran.
Hum kookar tere Darbar...

Best of luck,may God bless you.
Sat Sree Akal.

Also with reference to some of the earlier posts that I have just read about astral and OBE's.............

In my understanding, OBE's in astral are all about the power of your own mind and won't help you rise above the realms on the abyasee marg......Maybe some of you have ??...i'm not denying....but It's my understanding.
And if you have or you do feel that you are getting washed in the amrit of truth... then are you sure that you are travelling upstream to the source or Mool or are you getting washed downstream ?

ਦੂਜੈ ਭਾਵੀ ਨਾਨਕਾ ਵਹਣਿ ਲੁੜ੍ਹ੍ਹੰਦੜੀ ਜਾਇ ॥੧੬॥
Ḏūjai bẖāvīʼn nānkā vahaṇ luṛĥaʼnḏaṛī ja-e
In the love of duality, O Nanak, the mortals are being washed downstream.

Guruji has given us the greatest and direct method that can take you to the highest realm of sachkhand....and that of course is the shabad and focusing your Single attention on Waheguru.

Some yogic schools and even some meditative enlightenment paths try to gear you up under the impression that you must go via astral realm with OBE to rise to the higher realms.......This may also work and gurbani doesn't condemn it either.....but Guruji said we don't need to complicate it because all we need is the ONE Jap and praise with the ONE tongue.
The EK- shabad from the EK-jap that is praising and doing sift salah of Ek waheguru will take you straight to the EK. Onkaar.

Also, from what I have now come to understand is that there are many levels of astral planes and realms. However, they are not nirgun because structural forms still exist although they may not appear purely physical as what we are used to... These are often mistaken for the places of after-life where all souls go.....but if you want to ascend via this method (as i mention above) then this is where you probably need the guides or masters that they talk about in sant mat, radhasoamis etc....
BUT I FIRMLY believe in the marg given by Guru Nanak ji which is to ascend DIRECTLY with the shabad without roaming around these structural realms/planes..... and that is with Pure EXPANSION of consciousness by connecting with shabad and following its 'Dhun'-vibration......


In my opinion....we are not going to learn much sikhi or progress by playing in astral realms. I think you need to ascend via the universe that exists inside your own body.

The lessons start coming in the further realms and you start learning more about your very own self which in turn leads you to find your own truer self and come to that God-Realisation.
Guruji says that there are so many worlds, realms and so many lessons to be learned,...........

ਕੇਤੀਆ ਕਰਮ ਭੂਮੀ ਮੇਰ ਕੇਤੇ ਕੇਤੇ ਧੂ ਉਪਦੇਸ ॥
Keṯī▫ā karam bẖūmī mer keṯe keṯe ḏẖū upḏes.
So many worlds and lands for working out karma. So very many lessons to be learned!

This is one reason why I said somewhere before that the further stages get very personal and unified according to our own gunas, actions, paaps and karmic imprints.

my two cents on this subject..

i feel i have had many OBE's...not a single one when meditating during the Day..... always at amrit Vela...
my first one actually occured on the very first day i did Amrit Vela (before then i meditated during the day)

unlike others i dont think i have wondered around, and seen my own body etc etc...i have always been pulled to 'somewhere else' sometimes by the sound of a loud bell.

my advice..and this is only my opinion...
I have never wanted nor do i still want an OBE...i don;t seek it, nor do i ask for one...
i go into mediaition with Gurmanter with sole aim of feeling at one with Waheguru...whatever happens/doesnt happen..is fine by me...just surrender to the all pervading power that is

everything that needs to occur, that will occur or will happen, will manifest on its own accord...

otherwise in my opinion one can get dragged into just shifting desires, ego, wants, needs, attention from this world to another...and we can easily lose track of our objectives...

but this is just me opinion

google Astral Sex, and you'll find forums of hundreds of people trying to induce Astral travel for the sole aim of having sex in a different realm/world...talk about just taking your problems with you!


Hi Satkirin, Lucky ji....good to see you on this Forum

i also agree with Satkirin, i don't think we/consciousness leave anywhere...i think we are also just shifting awareness to a different point...like having a sheet of paper with several holes in it...and just peeping through a different hole...

Sat Sree Akal Lunalon,

Dear Lunalon,
we are already failed, and our condition is hopeless and of pity. So any devotion done, even for any selfish motives, in His court is accepted.

How one calls one´s father, that is not much important. He knows how weak we are. But anyhow He is such a wonderful Father, that He says, though out of pain or despair just remeber me, just call me with a sincere heart, and see I will come running to your aid.


But there is definetely a difference in calling a worldly father and a heavenly Father like Wahiguru Akal Purukh.

While our calling Him, we are elevated, our consciousness soars high in the spiritual realms. And when we thus communicate with Him in this way, we are spiritually washed, our thinking and understanding the laws of Nature undergo a drastic change, in comparison to the earthly point of view.

Now in our present condition, we may question Him about our so called problems of any type, be it may health, mental, economical ... or any other .....

But once we elevate even a little bit our consciousness within, then we shall not even ask Him any such selfish things .....

Otherwise it is more likely we blame Him as usually we do. We may not voice our thoughts, but surely more than once we may have thought, my God, why me?

Why do I not get this or that ? Or be like him /her, or even better.... and an endles such list....

We should keep in mind, He is a Perfect Being.

He can make no mistakes.

And so, if He can not make mistakes, then, what is there for Him to rectify?

It is we, who are short sighted. And we are telling Him to do this or that, like if He was the Aladino´s genie in the lamp.

We do not try to know and understand the Nature, but rather we want the Higher consciousness, to come to our level and get involved in our selfish petty minded game... Is it not moorakhta from our side, to do something which is unlogic? Then too we harshly blame Him, for not fulfilling our expectations, and so shamelessly we say God does not exist ....

Dear Lunalon, I am not disheartening you or anyone...but it is better, if we go through the precious priceless Bani, and dye ourselves with the colors of His Beant wadeeayee . Then there will be no complaints, but only "shukur hae Sachay Patshah" on each step in our lives.

For example,Christ was nailed; Dhan Guru Arjun Dev Maharaj was ill treated badly and tortured physically ...

Just let us think a litle bit, they were the embodiments of that Supreme Power.

What could they not do if they wished to? By freeing themselves and punish their culprits...

But instead, they said: Tera bhaana meetha laage ....

In these 4 words, if paid proper attention there is a lot of wisdom for us humans to learn and apply it in our lives. Then almost all of our problems shall vanish away...

But anyhow, as brother Sat above, has soundly said: "in the house of Guru Nanak even those things can be changed".

Or even as brother Jaikaara has beautifully said: "If we can do Naam Simran abhyas ..we would achieve that level when everyting will be Gurparsaad..."

So in the end we could well say, it is all about, the attitude based on faith and devotion we adopt, to face all situations.

Sat Sree Akal.

It's well translated already but here is my analysis.

ਗੋਂਡ ਮਹਲਾ ੪ ॥
In Rag Gaund, by Guru Ramdas.
ਹਰਿ ਦਰਸਨ ਕਉ ਮੇਰਾ ਮਨੁ ਬਹੁ ਤਪਤੈ ਜਿਉ ਤ੍ਰਿਖਾਵੰਤੁ ਬਿਨੁ ਨੀਰ ॥੧॥
My mind yearns so deeply for the vision of Hari, the way a thirsty man yearns for a drink of cool water.
ਮੇਰੈ ਮਨਿ ਪ੍ਰੇਮੁ ਲਗੋ ਹਰਿ ਤੀਰ ॥
ਹਮਰੀ ਬੇਦਨ ਹਰਿ ਪ੍ਰਭੁ ਜਾਨੈ ਮੇਰੇ ਮਨ ਅੰਤਰ ਕੀ ਪੀਰ ॥੧॥ ਰਹਾਉ ॥
My mind has been pierced by the arrow of His love; only He understands my pain, the pain I feel from having been separated from Him.
ਮੇਰੇ ਹਰਿ ਪ੍ਰੀਤਮ ਕੀ ਕੋਈ ਬਾਤ ਸੁਨਾਵੈ ਸੋ ਭਾਈ ਸੋ ਮੇਰਾ ਬੀਰ ॥੨॥
Whoever tells me stories of Hari, whoever talks about my Beloved, he is my brother, my true brother.
ਮਿਲੁ ਮਿਲੁ ਸਖੀ ਗੁਣ ਕਹੁ ਮੇਰੇ ਪ੍ਰਭ ਕੇ ਲੇ ਸਤਿਗੁਰ ਕੀ ਮਤਿ ਧੀਰ ॥੩॥
Come together my friends and sing the praises of my Lord, and listen to message of the patient Satguru.
ਜਨ ਨਾਨਕ ਕੀ ਹਰਿ ਆਸ ਪੁਜਾਵਹੁ ਹਰਿ ਦਰਸਨਿ ਸਾਂਤਿ ਸਰੀਰ ॥੪॥੬॥ ਛਕਾ ੧॥
Guru Ramdas ji says, O Hari please fulfill our desires to unite with You. When we see You, when we get a glimpse of Your form, we find peace.


What is special about that rahao line is that it describes a state where the mind stops seeking material objects or  imaginary objects, and starts seeking desiring God instead.

There is a fundamental shift that takes place, where the individual atma starts to actually desire Hari.
Most people aren't actually desiring God. They are not clear in their intention to meet God. They are just sort of half-assing it.

It maybe that they are clear about what they want and it's just not God. Or perhaps they want to want God but don't actually want him. Whatever the case maybe, that desire is neither clear nor very strong.

What Guru Ram Das ji is describing is a clear and strong intention of his soul to merge with God. He wants God, like a thirsty man who wants water, like a stranded individual wants to be rescued... and so on. The analogy is meant how real and strong that desire is.

Speaking of death just read the following which I found quite enlightening.
Transending death means realising the difference between body and soul and identifying oneself with the soul. When we actually behold the undecaying Soul within us and realise our true nature , we no longer identify ourself with the body which dies and we do not die with the body.  
 
Sheds a bit of light on the pangti.
Bramhgiani Nahe Marda
 
There is one part of us that must die; there is another part which never dies. When a man can identify himself with the undying nature, which is one with God , then he overcomes death. 
Aatma Paramatma Eko Jaan

We are connected to the world in a way that is much more real than we can perceive.
 

@Gunahgar
If you chhak the right kind of Amrit, then indeed mokhsh is possible in this lifetime.
 
But now that I think about it ... you mentioned that you have a scientific background, so because of that bhagti may not be the thing for you. It may be so that bhagti is not the type of meditation your being attaches to. So you may need to find other ways of meditation.
This is for your to learn - what kind of meditation works for me?
You can try the self-inquiry approach, which IMO is more attractive to a scientific mind.
 

~ Instead of trying to be consumed into eternal truth awareness/knowledge-satnaam let satnam - eternal truth awareness/knowledge consume you!! ~
 
I wont write much on this topic, but this line above has to be deeply contemplated and felt in quite mind and meditation. There is so much truth in above that will turn your life of efforts, striving striving, maintaining certain stage upside down in a good way and bring transformation, depending how much you allow it, it can penetrate deeper and bring out radical shift in identity in your life. All i can say be receptive and open, be in spontaneous quiet meditation without any effort or agenda. Any extra effort which is made has some backing of ego, has some imprints of ego, this subtlety can be understood in deep meditation where one feels current to the point ones effort seem like small speck or dust in inherent infinite eternal ocean of awareness happening now, eternally present.

A taste of inner peace-
Absolutely  beautiful vocal powerful invocation by ani choying drolma from nepal. I dont know i feel like i am in lap of mother earth - shakti (jag mata) putting me back to peace, deep resting when i listen to her clip and voice. So pure and divine. !!
 
 
 
 

Welcome Jitsingh Gojra Ji,
Just my 2 cents.
Nothing happens without karma. Whether familiy, friends, foes, loss, gains, birth , death, everything happens  with karma. There is although little free will. But this free will exercised   will be added in our store karma, and will ripe whenever and wherever the wise Nature thinks fit. Our limited present is a tiny fraction made out from our total past, and also our limited present will be added in our  karma storehouse.
So this karma theory is the secret of maintaing the creation in motion, from which none can escape, not even avtars, gods, godesses, devis, devtays, nor trinities, shaktis..... 
Only Guru Sahiban, Gurmukhs,  and Bhagat Jan of highest order, are the masters of the karmas with which they come at our human level, and the greatness about them unlike we moorakhs, is that they live accordingly and respecting the laws of Nature, they do not manipulate nor bribe anyone.
Living in His will at all times,  is their given  Hukum.  This is their apaar greatness, such is their sincere humility.
Though the effects of karmas and vikars, are terrible upon all beings, yet Waheguru, from His infinte love and mercy for all jeevas, has also given us a shelter to minimize and overcome those horrible effects on the jeev atmas.
But alas, nobody pays attention to it, though they may have memorized the Bani with each and every verse in it, but yet, they do not do, what the Bani, repeats constantly through out. 
One such descriptive verse is : AVAR KAAJ TERAY KITTAY NA KAAM, MIL SADH SANGAT BHAJ KEWAL NAM
This is  how, Kal, Maya and the mind, with its subordinates vikars, cheat the soul, making them believe, that whatsoever practices they are doing are very much accepted in His darbar, then again and again jeevas are dragged drowned into  the endless cycles of births and deaths.
You see, the main goal of sikhee is to set us free from all these dacoits mentioned above by defeating them with the sword of His Nao, and then go towards our origin Waheguru, just as bullet shot from a gun, to finally merge and become one with Him.
That´s it.
Seeing other souls, karmas, devis, devtays, trinities and whatsoever one wants, can be possible, for that, we have to arise to a certain conscious level within us. 
At our present level, we may be wanting all these things and find them logical to an extent, but that much can also be said, that once one engages in the devotion of His Nam bhakti, and as one progresses on that inner path towards our goal of Waheguru, by His kirpa, we start tasting the sweet Nectar of Immortality, or let us say Amrit Bani within us, and thus we want nothing, but Him only, just as a child lovingly and one pointedly "looks" at his Mother, for he knows nothing else besides his Mother.
This is the state of a true gursikh, all his earthly wishes, queries,  doubts, just desintegrate automatically, and one is left with only one burning desire, and that one is of  the meeting as soon as possible with his beloved, Waheguru Akal Purukh.
 
Stay blessed.
SSA.
 
 
 

Dear gdskler,
what is there to fear about?

If He has blessed you with ajaapa jap, then stay there as much time as possible in that state.... Havent´you seen or read of rishis staying in that state for days, even months?

You see, when you stay in that state, one is like a baby in His arms. No hunger, no thirst, no pain, no sufferings, no karmas, mind or kal can interfere in those moments...what else do you want man? It is the most blissful state.

From your post I perceive, you are like a child learning to walk in spirituality.

Do not fear, with His Simran, you are holding His hand, now your next step should be to make yourself stronger in this field, so that in due time, you will not only walk or run fast, but even fly within, in the subtle spiritual planes, without you noticing it..

Once there, pray to Him sincerely, so that He may give you His Darshan, and guide you further until His Dham Sach Khand.

In my opinion, that is all you have to do, nothing more. But at the same time thank Him with your heart, for being so Dayal.


And once in His sharnagatee, through ajaapa jap, He takes care of all our affairs, whether swarthee or parmarathee.

So now you tell us, what else if anything left that you think you have got to do?

Do not attempt to do anything, that would be manmat, just leave yourself in His Mauj, and see how beautifully He makes you like Himself, that is His beant wadeeayee.


Sat Sree Akal.