“As you keep practicing meditation you will get a lot of happiness and bliss. All the kinds of happiness that you experience outside is nothing compared to the happiness you get when you meditate.”
Practical Spirituality
Shivabalayogi often described himself as a practical yogi. He gives experiences, not theories, and his emphasis on meditation has to do with the practicalities of living in this world.
Practicing meditation only to obtain enlightenment is like taking up physical exercise in order to compete in the Olympics. It may work for a few, but most will be disappointed and give up.
Scientific research on meditation and consciousness is expanding rapidly, confirming the profound improvements that result from a simple meditation practice.
The real incentive is that meditation of itself is satisfying and sharpens the mind, just like physical exercise strengthens the body.
Meditation & Business
Money is not required. Shivabalayogi complained of an attitude in the West that people have to pay money to experience God. He was referring to spiritual lectures, classes, and retreats. We think if its costs money, it must be valuable.
Swamiji would say that God did not charge him any money for meditation, so why should Shivabalayogi? He warned that it was impossible to reach God through business.
Meditation without the Religion
Meditation does not belong to any religion. Shivabalayogi discouraged people from leaving their religions, assuring them that his blessings and the meditation he teaches help them on whatever spiritual path they wished to pursue, or whichever teacher they wish to follow.
The
Practice of
Concentration
The regular practice of meditation, stilling the mind, is not to escape the world but to be more aware in it.
Meditation reduces tension and increases awareness. Intelligence is sharpened so we work more effectively in the world. We understand others and our own purpose in life. By reducing tensions, meditation promotes physical health. Meditation helps us live more effectively in this world.
As meditation deepens, we become more aware of the consciousness that underlies the mind. That consciousness is the true source of happiness and understanding.
Ultimately, one can attain enlightenment and Self realization through meditation, but Shivabalayogi insisted that it all depends upon God, the Inner Guru, or the Self. The terms are synonymous. But regardless of our purpose for this life, all benefit from simple meditation.
The Technique
Shivabalayogi taught meditation by simply giving the technique and empowering the person to practice it. Everything else we needed to know, he insisted, we would learn through our own meditation.
The technique involves no sacred sound or prayer, no visualization, and no concentration on any thing except the space between the eyebrows — the third eye. It is meditation without form.
Because it uses nothing to occupy the mind, it is ordinarily considered a difficult method, usually reserved for advanced disciples. However, it is the yogi’s presence, a connection and empowerment established during the gift of initiation, that evokes stillness and empowers concentration. That gift allows anyone to practice the simple technique. Shivabalayogi often said, if we do ten percent, he will do the other ninety percent.
Of course, people had pre-conceptions and complained to Swamiji that they had no vision or other spiritual experience. He would ask how they felt after the practice. The invariable answer was that they felt rather good. That, he assured them, was an experience.
Although there are many postures, practices and rituals that aid in meditation, the only requirements that Shivabalayogi typically suggested was to adopt a comfortable posture, begin with an attitude of devotion, keep the eyes still, and practice regularly.
The Teacher Within
People do not have to attend classes. Once the connection is made, the physical presence of the outer guru is no longer required. Even when Shivabalayogi granted devotees' requests to be initiated into the rigorous discipline of tapas, he sent them home. The only requirement is to practice.
The Practice of Dhyana Meditation
Read more about meditation in the article on dhyana meditation by Gen. Hanut Singh (ret.), inspired by Shivabalayogi. Gen. Hanut’s stated purpose for meditation is samadhi, tapas and God realization, which very few attain, so his writing is directed less to the practical benefits. Originally published in 1981 as a chapter in his biography, Shri Shri Shri Shivabalayogi Maharaj, Life and Spiritual Ministration, you can read The Practice of Dhyana Meditation.
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Shivabalayogi on Meditation Interviewer Charles Whitt introduces Shivabalayogi, then asks Swamiji, "What is meditation?" Swamiji explains that meditation is to control the mind to become peaceful, more healthy, and more effective in life. When it comes to meditation, Swamiji assures the interviewer, Swamiji can guarantee anything. approx. 12 minutes
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