Pujya Sir K.C.Narayana ( KCN ) Messages (Meditation, Raja Yoga, Training, Spirituality, PAM - Pranahuti Aided Meditation, Divinity, Divine Service & Research, Babuji Disciple) Pujya Sri Ramchandraji's Disciple & Founder of "Institute of Sri RamChandra Consciousness" *Messages delivered by Pujya Sir K.C.Narayana ( KCN ), Hyderabad, India. Dedicated his life for the Spiritual service of Pujya Sri Ramchandraji's Pranahuti Aided Meditation, Research, Meditation Trainings, Audio Messages, Books & SatSangh For Meditation Info Contact: www.sriramchandra.in Biography: kcnarayana.org Episode Notes: MEDITATION IS NOT ENOUGH K.C.Narayana Many abhyasis are of the opinion that it is enough if they practice meditation, cleaning and prayer methods as advised by our Master. Master himself has stated that it is not enough if we just do meditation and follow the methods as advised and we need to develop love and devotion to Master. However in the many mails I received and also during the course of discussions and talks many make me feel that they have done the routine practice as advised and they need to get results from such a practice. This is a very interesting and fairly common expectation. But there is much more than the routine meditational practices in the system advocated by our Master which we call satya pada marg. The truth is that there's a lot more in authentically liberating and transformative spirituality in satya pada marg than just meditating. The most important point to take into consideration is the way we spend the remaining period of time of the day when we do not actively do the meditational practices. Many of my friends and relatives even ask me as to why I meditate and even suggest that much time need not be wasted like that. I used to think why should I meditate at all and waste my time on this rather amusing exercise for the sake of enlightenment or realisation of what I really do 1 not know and while clarifying escape into the word " Nothingness". I wonder what my motivation is. What am I looking for or even lacking, for that matter? To think that our system is all about meditation is to misunderstand it. Many of us think even as our Western country brethren attracted to Eastern thought and practice often make the mistake of seeing meditation in the narrowest sense of going into a quiet room and closing our eyes. In fact, there's a lot more to these things, both externally, internally, and ultimately the process of spiritual development is an integral and holistic endeavour. The concept of constant remembrance in our system is more similar to the mindfulness of Buddhist thought rather than the concept of Bhajan that is popular in our Country and this is not the same as meditation. Constant remembrance can be practiced formally while sitting and while walking, or informally in whatever activity in which we may be engaged. Being present, wakeful and efficient in all aspects and walks of our life, beaming with the awareness of the presence of the Master in the core of our being, is more important than any particular posture or set of words of prayer in which we are engaged. Master asserts that finally we find the Ultimate is in us and adds further that it is ourselves. He wants us to understand that we are masters in essence and that it is only the coverings that need to be removed to bring to light the true nature of our self. In fact we 2 are all masters by nature, and through sadhana we only have to recognize and awaken to that fact. In reality what we seek, we are; that realisation is not far away, in future time or in another place, but in fact is inseparable from samsara (the cycle of birth and death governed by karma) and found hidden in the here and now. The lives and teaching of our Masters Revered Lalaji Maharaj, Revered Babuji Maharaj, Ishwar Sahaiji, Saint Kasturiji, Revered K.C.V. Revered Kumara swamiji, Revered Parthasarathy and many more apart from many tales in the classical enlightenment literature about karmically ripe individuals experiencing awakenings --while engaged in all kinds of ordinary activities prove this point more eloquently than any logic can. It is over four decades that I have been meditating for more than a minimum of two hours a day and certain days over eight hours. Strain in the physical realm was present in the initial days of practice and it was all the time invigorating. So far as I understand meditation is more about being than doing routine practice. Master has advised us to see or examine our condition after the routine practice of meditation for an hour and also after the performance of purification process and offering prayer. Each day I was finding after the influx of Pranahuti there is introducing and unveiling of a new way of seeing, far beyond sitting or just keeping still. Yet I found on my part, there is inevitably some 3 appropriate effort, intention, and attention involved. There is no other way I am aware of by which we can go about the task of being with the Master and be attentive to him. Meditation is called by Master even as puja as we may see in the Commandment number 1. Yet, it is my experience oflate that meditation is more of a listening to Master than the usual supplicant's so-called submission to Master. The voice of the Master is more keenly heard when our submissions end and an absolute silence in the presence of the Lord is maintained. Surely this means that we have left the realm of desires not to speak of seeking gratification of desires. Then the stage of intercommunion or receipt of orders arises and in that blessed state the individual mind and infact the entire internal apparatus is put off totally. This is really the final state of constant remembrance of prayer. This is verily the core factor of enlightenment. From my understanding of the Masters instructions gleaned through books and through the inter communions, I have found several factors that characterise enlightenment. I understood, IT, through the core of my being as blessing splendour. The great joy of awareness of inseparableness with Him is another factor in enlightenment. The awareness of the intimate proximity grants a courage and confidence that is beyond all rational understanding. With all the handicaps of the physical and mental functioning, 4 there is a competence almost intuitive in character more particularly in the work related to spiritual help to fellow brethren. There is a sense of joy accompanying every act of seeing, knowing and doing which acts in an almost instinctual nature. The equanimity that accompanies these acts has in it as though embedded the nature of perseverance, concentration, serenity, and analytical investigation. The balance of these factors is something that is usually not disturbed. According to my understanding there are actually three liberating trainings in the path of the Master: the ethical self discipline, the meditational practices, and wisdom. Without the moral discipline and wisdom I may state that meditation alone is not enough for enlightenment. If we ask how to undertake and accomplish in the path of enlightenment, and how to implement and practice these three trainings, we only need to study in depth our Masters' books particularly the one relating to the Ten Commandments he has given us to follow. That is the practical guide in a book form while other books give us the philosophy and his modified Rajayoga systematically. The book Towards Infinity is a description of the path he has taken to accomplish what he accomplished and eventually the same is the path we take to become just like him. 5 I have tried to explain how the experience during meditation becomes our guiding spirit in the path, in the book Imperience Beckons. True seekers would have noticed that in these Ten Commandments, the steps to enlightenment. They would have also noticed that there are practices that suggest ways and means to enrich ourselves with Wise Livelihood and Sagacious living. These practices are not solitary or/and contemplative in nature but engage us fully in daily life, through constant remembrance that may be considered as mindfulness and loving kindness expressed in all our actions and tasks. We should note that spirituality is never learnt through books. Master while writing about this book said " In this book I have endeavoured to put up in words those spiritual secrets which have up till now come down from heart to heart..." and also added that " it is not only difficult but almost impossible to express them adequately in words." One needs to live with and understand the masters to understand the WAY. But it is almost impossible without having the proper attitude as simply staying with the masters never help much. Physical proximity is good but spiritual nearness is what is required. Love at work, compassion in action, spiritual and social activism, efficiency in discharge of duties without undue attachment as well as devoting ourselves to the welfare of the world is an important part of spiritual practice in the system of Master. It is the practical wisdom that we observe in the master 6 that really guides us. It is an age old wisdom that we may not do great things, but can do small things in a great way. For that the path given to us by the Master has been very efficacious for many seekers. The spirit or soul of every spiritual path without exception is some kind of basic morality and self- discipline. If we wish to live wisely and contribute to a better world, we must try to become better people-- authentic people, honest, straightforward, and decent and more particularly serve all beings unselfishly. Practices such as truth-telling, non-harming, non- covetousness, non jealousy, peacemaking, balancing, showing generosity and engaging in selfless service are too often overlooked by many in the
