Question: Does there exist any yogic cure for baldness that works? A cure to make hair grow on parts of the scalp where hair doesn't grow any more.

Answer:

Viirasana is reputed to retard hair loss but I don't believe it helps restore already lost hair. Still, it's good to practice in any case.

The best yogic cure is lots of meditation, kiirtan and service. It probably won't cause your hair to return, but you should find that you increasingly don't mind so much that it is gone!

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Question: I was wondering if it is possible to achieve self-realization by meditating with the mantra Baba Nam Kevalam alone, or is more needed?

Answer:

Many years ago our Guru, Shrii Shrii Anandamurti answered this question directly. He said that "In meditation there must always be the feeling that you want to serve Him. If this is the feeling, immediately the mind gets concentrated. If in meditation there is the culmination of service, everything will be achieved. Even through the preliminary lessons of meditation a spiritual aspirant can get salvation, but even one practicing higher meditation cannot attain it if there is no feeling of service."

So, if your approach is correct you can get liberation with the simplest form of meditation. However, whenever possible it is also good to learn more advanced lessons of meditation because they will help you in your practice.

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Question: I have a problem concentrating, my minds wanders everywhere. Is there a solution to this?

Answer:

Meditation is a challenging skill, not an innate ability. Virtually everyone has a great deal of difficulty concentrating at first. During the early stages of meditation the rule of thumb is that concentration generally lasts no more than three seconds before the mind wanders. Over time and with practice this will improve.

Do not become discouraged. Continue practicing meditation and you will find that, over time, you will gain the ability to concentrate for long periods of time. As with any skill, the more you practice, the faster you will improve.

Learning meditation is comparable to learning a musical instrument.Achieving the ability to meditate without any external thought is equivalent to becoming a virtuoso on a musical instrument and this is near the final stage of your meditation journey. An equivalent amount of practice is required in most cases to achieve both. However, just as with learning to play an instrument you will find that there is much enjoyment to be had along the way, many beautiful songs to play before you become an expert. So continue practicing. You will also find that the benefits of meditation will start to accrue very soon and the state you describe is not needed for you to achieve the rewards of regular meditation. In fact, in the process of learning to develop our concentration and deal with all our errant thoughts, our growth naturally occurs.

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Question: My question is quite personal, but I know a lot of people may have the same plight as mine. I have been struggling so hard to make my dreams come true but it seems that good fate does not favor me in many ways. Sometimes I almost run out of hope and wallow in self-pity. Is there such a thing as luck and how can one know if we're making the right decision at the right time? Does everything happen for a reason or is everything a circumstantial mistake?

Answer:

These are interesting questions and most of us wonder about these things at one time or another during our lives.

Every action we do creates a distortion in our mind which is in effect a reaction in potential form. Positive actions create positive reactions and negative actions create negative reactions. What we think of as "good luck" is just the expression of a positive reaction in potential form. Similarly, bad luck is the expression of a negative reaction in potential form. Almost everything that happens to us is due to the expression of these positive or negative reactions in potential form. So there is no such thing as "luck".

Most of what we experience in this life has to do with actions from previous lives. If you feel your luck has been bad it is because your actions in a previous life require that you experience some difficulties in this life to restore balance. If this seems unfair it is because you don't remember your past life. It is a blessing not to recall what we did in our past lives as that knowledge would lead to too many mental burdens for most of us to bear.

The goal of the yogi is not to accumulate good reactions but rather to exhaust all reactions and not accumulate any new ones. Only when all our mental reactions are fully exhausted is complete and permanent merger (and hence complete and permanent contentment) with the Divine possible. Through different practices yogis are able to both speed up the rate at which they exhaust past reactions and prevent accumulation of new ones.

In addition, through Divine Grace the rate at which one experiences certain reactions may be altered. For example, suppose you need to experience a great deal of physical pain and suppose your original destiny was to experience this as a terrible auto crash which would leave you hospitalized for 6 months. Through meditation and service you may be given the "gift" of spreading out this pain over several years in the form of many smaller accidents, minor illnesses and so on which allow you to continue working and meditating.

Likewise, suppose it was your "destiny" to die on a certain day. It may be that you are given instead the "gift" of experiencing a terrible accident on that date which almost kills you but does not, followed by some additional smaller accidents or illnesses thus allowing you to retain your body for additional work in this life.

Now, how do we know if we are making the right decisions? The short answer is that we can only do our best to make decisions based on whatever information we have in the spirit of universal welfare and surrender. If our decisions are based purely on self-interest with no consideration for how our actions affect others, then we can know that our decision-making process is not good. If we do our best to take into account our own physical, mental and spiritual progress as well as how our decisions affect the welfare of others in these three realms, then we have done the best we can.

Lord Krishna said in the Bhagavad Gita, "You have the right to your actions, but not to the fruits of your actions." By that He meant that we should go ahead and act in a proper way, without ego and offering the results to the Divine Will. In this way we not only react properly, we also do not acquire new reactions from our actions because the "fruits" go to the Divine.

So don't worry, everything happens for a reason (nothing is an accident) and ultimately everything that happens to us is for our long-term welfare. As Winston Churchill once said: "If you are going through hell, keep going." Sooner or later you will come out the other side and things will start going your way. It is only a matter of time. Right now if things haven't been going your way it means you have been working through a lot of past negative reactions, but this will only stand you in better stead for the future. Keep going and don't lose hope.

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Question: Why do some spiritual paths say that you do not have to follow specific rules about diet, whereas other paths lay down precise guidelines?

Answer:

A simple answer is that not all paths are correct about everything. In the world of philosophy, religion and spirituality there are so many people laying down so many doctrines and ideas. Often these claims are contradictory, and some of them are just plain wrong.

But there is also another way to look at the differences in various spiritual messages and practices. The various teachers who came along during the course of human history had to give a teaching that was appropriate for the particular time and place in which they lived. For example, Sadashiva, the guru who was the first teacher to systematize the practices of tantra yoga, lived 7000 years ago. His emphasis was on spiritual practice and he gave detailed instructions regarding meditation. However, he did not present any philosophical system, because the time was not right for it and he felt that philosophy would just confuse people. The fact that he did not expound on philosophical subjects does not mean that there is no place for philosophy on the spiritual path, but if we understand the context in which Sadashiva taught, then it is clear why he did not give it importance.

Similarly, Gautama Buddha did not say anything about God. While some will say that he did not talk about God because he did not believe in the existence of God, it is also possible to see another reason for his approach. In the period prior to and during Buddha‘s time religious leaders exploited people in the name of God and religion. Buddha wanted to make a sharp break with this trend and didn’t speculate about the nature of God. Rather, he emphasized morality and taught people how to meditate with the expectation that they would find out for themselves, through meditation, what is the ultimate reality. Buddha’s avoidance of speculation or talk about the nature of God should be understood in the historical and social climate in which he lived.

Likewise when it comes to diet and dietary "dos and don'ts", the time and place where a particular doctrine originated has a role to play. So, the question is, if there are so many different ideas on this subject, what should a person do? Quoting an ancient verse, Shrii Shrii Anandamurti, the founder of Ananda Marga, explained that though intellectuals may present so many divergent ideas, a spiritual aspirant should not get confused but should be practical. He advised that one should find a realized person, and follow the advice of that person.

With regard to diet, a practical approach is very important. If you eat a heavy meal and then immediately after the meal try to meditate you will see that eating does have an effect on your spiritual practices. You can make experiments to see what works and what doesn’t work for you. Alternatively, if you are convinced that dietary guidelines will be helpful for you, then examine what yogis have said about the subject and then once again make an experiment and see if their recommendations are helpful or not.

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Question: Having been interested in Ananda Marga for quite some time as a path to realization, I am attracted to its holistic nature balancing devotion, meditation, social, action, etc, but I felt it pertinent to ask for a personal perspective on what type of enlightenment experiences are common for people who follow Ananda Marga? I feel that there should be at least some glimpsing of the Oneness and therefore easing to some extent of the fear inherent in the ego trapped at a dualist perspective.

Answer:

This is not so easy a question to answer. First of all, there is the difficulty of trying to capture transcendent notions with limited language. Secondly, there is the very real possibility that we may not use terms in identical ways. For example, I try never to use the terms "enlightened" or "enlightenment" because these have been greatly devalued of late.

Given these problems, I think the best I can tell you is this. I believe the answer to the most important question you are asking is "yes." Those who practice Ananda Marga meditation and related practices experience a growing feeling of oneness with the Divine and, among other things, this has the effect of leading to reduced feelings of fear and anxiety and increased feelings of universal love.

In fact, new meditators are sometimes told these are some of the first signs of true progress. I cannot say that there is a great deal of commonality to the actual experiences enjoyed. People don't often talk about their specific experiences, and on those occasions when they do, language is woefully inadequate. In addition, what each of us experiences can be different for all the reasons that people are different from one another.

The most important thing I can tell you is that the only way to truly understand this is to experience it directly. No amount of description or discussion can provide much guidance here.

You can only truly know the effect of Ananda Marga spiritual practices by trying them sincerely for a time, say a few months, to determine if they benefit you in the way you hope.

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Question: What's so good about fasting? How long does it last?

Answer:

Fasting is one of the secrets of long life. Your body, and your digestive organs in particular, are required to work and work without any vacation. You know that you require rest from your work or your school from time to time. In the same way, your digestive system needs a rest from time to time.

Periodic fasting provides the rest for your digestive system. It allows your digestive system to recuperate from the rough treatment that you may have given it by overeating or eating the wrong foods or eating at the wrong time.

In addition fasting also provides an opportunity to eliminate many toxins from your body. After fasting, you should take some lemon water with a bit of salt. This drink helps to flush the digestive system, eliminating waste material that might otherwise remain in the body if you didn't fast.

Fasting also helps you to keep a balanced mind in spite of the attraction of the moon on the fluids of your body. That is why our fasting system is timed in relation to the moon. The eleventh day after the new and full moons is the time when this attraction is very strong. If you fast during this period, then the emptiness of the stomach pulls down liquids that would otherwise rise up in your body under the attraction of the moon.

Finally fasting also gives you a chance to save some time and use that time for spiritual pursuits. In order to eat, you may have to spend time shopping, cooking, cleaning and of course eating. If you fast, you can use that time to do meditation, to read or some other valuable pursuit.

This system of yogic fasting has a duration from sunrise to sunrise. You begin at sunrise on the fasting day and eat nothing. If your body is strong you can also refrain from drinking anything. On the next day, you can break the fast with lemon water, as I have mentioned above, and then with fruit and other suitable food.

Some people think that fasting is difficult. If you prepare yourself for fasting it is not difficult. Prepare yourself physically by taking enough food and also plenty of liquids the day before. Prepare yourself mentally by deciding the night before fasting: "Tomorrow is fasting day, and I am not going to eat anything." If you take this mental determination prior to the fasting day, you will not be hungry during the fasting day. If you don't make a prior determination, during the fasting day you will start to think "Maybe I should eat, and fast another day!" Decide beforehand and you will be able to complete your fast.

All in all, fasting is one of the best practices for maintaining physical, mental and spiritual health. I highly recommend it.

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Question: Is everything happening in my life pre-arranged by God? Is the future pre-determined? If so, where is my free will? Does God guide my life or am I to be fully responsible for what I do?

Answer:

This is what you might call a knotty question. And it seems to be a question that is more frequently asked in the context of Western philosophy. For example, Shrii Shrii Anandamurti – the guru of Ananda Marga – only rarely referred to the subject in his many thousands of formal discourses and informal talks.

In a very direct sense, of course we do have free will, i.e. the capacity to decide upon and carry out our own actions. There are certain bodily functions, such as the beating of our heart and the flow of blood in our body, which are not normally under our conscious command, but when it comes to selecting, for example, which clothes we are going to wear, then it is up to us to decide what we are going to do.

All day long we go on making various decisions about what to do and what not to do. So it appears that we do indeed have free will. But when we take a look at our situation from a cosmic perspective then the issue becomes more complicated.

The yogis (and other spiritual and/or religious people) say that God is omniscient. God knows the past, the present and the future. He knows what you are going to do and what will happen to you. If that’s true, then how much free will do we really have?

To find the answer to that question, let’s go back to the simple task of selecting which clothes we are going to wear. Your selection of clothes in the first place depends on your likes and dislikes, which are in turn based on your psychic momentum (known in yoga philosophy as your collection of samskaras, or more loosely put, karma). That is, the various actions that you did in the past, the various experiences that you had in the past, shape and guide what you are going to do today and tomorrow.

If you have ever been in a complicated fix and made a decision which turned out to be “wrong” then you probably wish you had acted differently. Yes, it was up to you to decide what to do and you did have the “free will” to choose an alternative, but you didn’t do it. The reason you did what you did is because of your samskaras (the psychic momentum based on your past actions).

A great mind – the Cosmic Mind – with the power to know your past actions could easily predict what you would do in the pivotal moment of choice. And looking back on that moment, though you might wish you had chosen differently, your experience up to that point guided you to make the only choice you could at the time.

So although in a sense we do indeed have free will, at the same time it is limited, not absolute. It’s like a kite – it can fly wherever it likes, but only within certain limits because the string always restricts its overall movement.

Animals and plants have their own freedom, within the limits of their instinct, which in effect means they are governed by the Cosmic Will because it is the Cosmic Will which determines instinct.

Human beings in turn have their own freedom, within the limits of intellect, and this freedom (that we call free will) also has its boundaries because the intellect and its process of development and operation is also ultimately determined by the Cosmic Will.

To sum up, from our individual perspective we do indeed have free will. But looking at it from the cosmic perspective then we find that that free will is limited – that it only operates within certain boundaries or perimeters.

But that doesn’t mean to say we don’t have to take responsibility for our own actions. We should always try to do the best we can according to our own individual capacity. If we do something which inhibits the physical, mental or spiritual progress of ourselves or others, then we will suffer the consequences. If we do something that enhances the physical, mental or spiritual progress of ourselves or others, then we will enjoy a better future.

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Question: Why did God make this world, what is the purpose, and if there is a purpose why do I exist and what does God want from me?

Answer:

This set of questions goes to the heart of yoga and people have pondered over them for thousands of years.

Scientists can just about describe how the universe came into being through study of the natural world and by logical deduction. However to probe into the "why" of creation takes one beyond the scope of logic.

Where logicians are left wanting, humble devotees of God have come up with a simple answer to the question. They say "God was alone, He had no one to talk to, no one to love, no one to scold! So, He created the planets and the living beings to fill this emptiness with endless activity."

When you make observations based on cause and effect this is called Kriida in Sanskrit and when you go beyond logic it is called Liila. Liila also means "play" or "sport." So, from this viewpoint God created the universe as a cosmic play, a great cosmic drama in which each of us has a role to play.

What is my role and what is your role in this cosmic drama?

You, I and all the animate and inanimate objects of the universe are nothing but manifestations of God. When we say that God created the universe, we have to ask, "What is the stuff from which He created everything?" Yoga philosophy says that everything of this universe is composed of Consciousness or the very essence of God.

Poets describe this by saying that God is playing hide-and-seek. He has hidden Himself in all the created objects of the universe.

So our role is to act out our part in the drama but to do our best to seek God, and to discover that He is everywhere, and most importantly residing in the core of our hearts. When you understand that He is in all objects, then you will begin to treat these objects with great respect and love.

What does God want from you? He wants you to smile, to seek inside yourself and find out who you really are, and to serve the others around you, knowing that they are expressions of Him.

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Question: I was a vegetarian, but gave it up. I would like to begin again. Can you help me? Also, what kind of food should I feed a child?

Answer:

There are a number of reasons why – despite good intentions – you may not be able to give up eating meat. Let's go through them one by one:

If meat is the only available food source, but this only really applies in places of extreme climate, such as very cold places like the Arctic regions, or very hot and desert-like areas. So, for example, the Inuit people of the Arctic may have to eat meat to survive, but for the majority of us the non-availability of vegetarian food is not an issue.

You may have the impression that by not eating meat you would be lacking in protein, or essential vitamins and minerals. Nutritionally speaking, of course, it's increasingly well known these days that that just isn't so. You can get more than enough protein and other essential nutrients by eating a balanced vegetarian diet of fruits, vegetables, grains, legumes, dairy products, nuts and seeds. A vegan diet (without dairy products) is also adequate, as long as you eat enough protein-rich whole-grains, legumes, nuts and seeds. In any case, your body will "tell" you what you need to eat. If you have a particular craving for any type of food, it may mean that you need the nutrients that it supplies – so trust the natural signals your body gives to you.

Due to your personal preference, you may like the taste or texture of meat, and/or think vegetarian food is bland or unsubstantial in comparison. If you do feel like this but you still want to go veg, try using soy meat-substitutes like soy chunks, as well as other soy and gluten products that look and taste like meat. For example, mock chicken, duck, pork, etc. In some places they even make it look like meat as well, with drumsticks of "chicken" for example! Learn vegetarian recipes that actually taste good. There are plenty of ways of cooking vegetarian food in a tasty way. For example, spaghetti bolognaise cooked with soy mince instead of real mince is practically indistinguishable from the original.

The yogic system of food excludes onion and garlic (because of their dulling effect on the mind), but you can make up for their taste by using a powder called hing (asafetida), which is made from a root found in India. Just fry it in a bit of cooking oil before throwing in the vegetables. If you fry it with finely chopped cabbage it gives an extra onion-like taste. Of course there are other herbs and spices such as turmeric, ginger, chili, etc, that you can use in an endless number of creative ways to spice up your meals.

Whether it's food or anything else, the company you keep is also very important. If you keep the company of thieves you will become a thief. It's true! So when you want to go veg, it's important that you eat with other vegetarians. Apart from being able to share recipes and other helpful information, it will keep you inspired to stick to the vegetarian diet and make it more convenient for you to do so. For example, if you live with other vegetarians, you can pool your resources and share the shopping and cooking. So the company you keep is very important.

If you've been eating meat for a long time, your digestive system will most probably have become clogged up with all the toxins and other particles of partially digested meat. So it's a good idea to clean your system before you go vegetarian. That will increase the efficiency of the digestive process, and allow you to absorb all the essential nutrients and vital energy of your food. It also means you'll feel satisfied on less, without the bloated feeling and indigestion of eating meat. Of course there are many other health benefits to eating vegetarian food, but we won't go into all of them now. Suffice it to say that a vegetarian diet is better for the mind, body, animals, and the environment!

There are various ways of cleaning your digestive system, including going on a fruit and/or lemon-water fast, but perhaps the best way is to get into the habit of doing a regular one-day fast every two weeks. That will give your organs a well-earned rest as well as cleaning and detoxifying your whole system.

Regarding children, it's especially important that children are not introduced to meat, at least before the age of five. Up to this age the best food for them is milk, fruits and roots. After five you can introduce sugar, starch and fatty substances into their diet. The emphasis should be on alkaline food (fruits, lightly cooked vegetables, milk, etc) as opposed to acidic, starchy, processed, sugary foods. It's also good to give children lime-water (mineral lime) on occasions, and of course plenty of fresh air and sunshine.

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Question: What is a Sadguru? How can you know if someone is truly a guru?

Answer:

In Sanskrit, gu means "darkness", and ru means "one who dispels". So guru literally means "one who dispels the darkness." And Sadguru is that guru who dispels the darkness from all three strata of human existence – the physical sphere, the psychic sphere, and the spiritual sphere. Literally, Sadguru means "the guru who leads one to Sat, the Unchangeable Entity." In other words, the highest spiritual guru. So not every guru is Sadguru.

"To shoulder the responsibility of Sadguru is not child's play."

Shrii Shrii Anandamurti

Who is Sadguru?

The Supreme Consciousness has created everything within His own mind. This universe and everything within it is His thought-projection. So He knows everything and everyone.

"He does not do anything. His 'doing' means His thinking. Things will take shape as He thinks."

Shrii Shrii Anandamurti

Only the Supreme Consciousness knows our inner thoughts and deepest feelings. And only He knows the science of transcendence. So only He can lead us along the path of liberation. The subtleties of spiritual science are known only to Him, and so it is He who teaches (through the physical form – or Mahasambhuti – of Sadguru) the spiritual science. So it is said:

"The Guru is one – only Brahma (the Infinite Entity) – and no other."

Shrii Shrii Anandamurti

Now, a very important point: His desire for His created beings is entirely benevolent – He only wishes the liberation of all from suffering. So when the time is right – when a person’s mind becomes restless with the mundanities of the world; when they intensely desire to know the limitlessness within themselves; when they are well and truly ready – He appears in the form of Sadguru and guides them along the spiritual path. He teaches them how to move towards the Supreme Consciousness and merge in Him.

Before going to sleep one night, a child asked his mother to wake him when it would be time for him to eat. His mother told him affectionately, "Don't worry, son, your hunger will wake you up."

And so it is with spiritual hunger. When the disciple is ready, the Guru will appear. This is echoed by the Sufi saying, "Seek and ye shall be found."

"Out of the intense desire for mukti (liberation), one attains one’s Sadguru (perfect master)."

Shrii Shrii Anandamurti

Three Types of Guru

In the West people have a tendency to think they don’t need a guru. But there are many types of gurus in everyone’s lives: parents, teachers, grandparents, mentors. Just as it helps to learn various skills from different kinds of teachers, it also helps to learn spirituality from the appropriate teacher. Indeed this is especially important for spirituality, because of its intrinsically subtle and elusive nature. Hence the need for the highest and most capable guru.

According to Tantra, there are three types of gurus: inferior, mediocre, and superior. These can be compared to three types of doctors: one only gives some advice but doesn’t bother about the patient’s progress; the second gives advice as well as medicine, but is not too strict about whether the patient takes it or not; and the third gives all the necessary advice and medicine, making sure the patient follows his instructions until he or she recovers.

So inferior gurus are those who may give some inspiration and deliver speeches, but do not bother about whether the disciples follow their teachings or not. Mediocre gurus impart knowledge to their disciples, may give some practices and instructions and check on whether the disciples are following their teachings, but they are not too demanding. The superior guru, however, takes meticulous care to ensure that the disciples follow His teachings and practices and compels them to practice more sincerely by applying circumstantial pressure. This is the Sadguru. He guides the disciple through the most subtle and appropriate application of knowledge on every level of existence (physical, psychic and spiritual) until the disciple finally attains the Supreme Goal.

Qualities of Sadguru

According to Tantra, there are many qualities by which a Sadguru can be recognized:

Composed, self-controlled, modest, exemplary in conduct, pure in thought, well-versed in the spiritual cult of Tantra and mantra, highly intelligent, fully established in meditation, and able to both punish and love His disciples.

Sadguru must also be married, because only a married person can be the guru of married people. He must be soberly dressed and have an honest means of livelihood.

He must be able to raise the kundalini of others, as well as His own. One who can raise one’s own kundalinii is called kaola, but Sadguru is called Mahakaola because He can raise the kundalinii of others too.

Types of Disciples

Just as there are three types of guru, there are also three types of disciples:

The first is like an upside-down vessel – once you take it out of the water, it loses everything it had in it. The next is like a leaky vessel – when taken out of the water it retains its contents for some time but eventually loses everything. The best type of disciple is like an upright vessel that retains everything it has assimilated. This type of disciple sincerely follows the teachings and practices given by the guru even when not in the physical presence of the guru. This is the real meaning of "disciple" – one who adheres to the "discipline" given by the guru.

Whenever a worthy disciple is taught by Sadguru, spiritual progress is a certainty. Following the process of initiation into intuitional science, there must be a regular and sustained effort (sadhana) to practice that science on a daily basis. It must be made a part of one’s life because it is only through constant practice and the cultivation of cosmic ideation that one’s Goal may me realized.

"The system of intuitional practice as taught by the Sadguru is so potent that it imperceptibly diverts the mind from crude attractions to subtlety: the desire for earthly enjoyments disappears, and with it the anguish of not attaining them. Hence not to do sadhana for fear of withdrawing oneself from worldly pleasures and enjoyments is not based on reason. Those who think thus are mistaken."

Shrii Shrii Anandamurti

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Question: How do I improve my meditation?

Answer:

Feeling the presence, and more to the point, the love of the Divine in your meditation is crucial. However, there are some things to keep in mind.

First, meditation itself is a skill that is not easily mastered. Six months is a relatively short period of time to have been meditating. However, there are some things you can do that will help.

It is said that God's love is showering down on all of us equally but most of us don't feel it because we (unconsciously) keep an umbrella over our head. How do we remove that umbrella so we are drenched in this love? All of the following are vitally important but if you do your best to do these I believe you will soon find your meditation transformed:

Kiirtan. Try to sing Baba Nam Kevalam kiirtan for at least 10 to 15 minutes before you sit to meditate. Allow the meaning and feeling that everything is Divine to fill you up.

Ideate on the Baba Nam Kevalam mantra (and its meaning) throughout the day. The best way to do this is to listen to as much kiirtan as possible, but if you can't do that just try to repeat the mantra internally as much as you can. This will help keep your mind in an elevated state all the time which will make it easier to go even deeper when you sit to meditate.

Service to others. If you aren't already doing this, find some way to perform some sort of service to others. It can be any sort of volunteer work for just a couple of hours a week, or it can even be helping out some family member – or even animals or plants. The important thing is that it is done without any thought for personal benefit and that you try to see the one(s) being served as manifestations of the Divine.

The yogis say that the true secret to meditation is this: instead of feeling that we are meditating on the Divine, try to have the feeling that He is meditating on us. That is, instead of God being the object of our meditation try to feel that you are the object of His meditation and that He is showering you with immense love.

Connect up with your local Ananda Marga group (if you have not done so already) for weekly group kiirtan and meditation. This is a tremendous aid to meditation. If you don't know how to find them, email us with the city and country where you are located and we will send you local contact information.

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Question: What would you recommend for someone who lives far from any of the Ananda Marga centers who is interested in learning?

Answer:

If you are not near a center, you can still request a visit from one of our traveling teachers. And if that doesn't bring immediate results there is one more thing you can do. Make yourself "ready." Practice whatever you can in the most sincere manner possible and cultivate your yearning for liberation. Again, the words of the Guru are instructive. He said, "When the vehement desire for liberation arises in a person, that person attains the Sadguru on the strength of that desire."

This is similar to the famous phrase, "When the student is ready, the teacher appears." So make yourself ready, prepare yourself, and before you know it you will be face-to-face with a spiritual teacher. You don't have to travel anywhere.

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Question: Can I meditate in a chair, or must I learn how to meditate sitting on the floor with legs crossed?

Answer:

It is possible to meditate in a chair, as long as it is a straight-backed chair, and sometimes, when you are traveling for a long period in a train, plane or bus, it is the only option available. However, there are drawbacks to meditating in a chair and at the same time there are many advantages to learning how to meditate sitting on the floor.

One of the drawbacks to meditating in a chair is that your back is touching the chair’s back. This makes it more difficult to withdraw your attachment from the physical world. During the first part of meditation you should imagine that you are alone and that there is nothing around you. If the whole length of your back is touching the chair, then this effort to withdraw your attention away from the world takes a longer time. On the other hand, if you are sitting on the floor the surface area of your body touching the earth is much less and withdrawal is much easier.

The whole issue of withdrawal from the physical surroundings is also the reason why the classic yoga postures for meditation all involve sitting on the floor and not in a chair. When the legs are folded and crossed, as they are in the lotus posture, half lotus or adept’s pose (siddhasana), the lower part of the body rests. The folding of the hands in the lap also contributes to this process of rest and withdrawal. If you then sit quietly and keep your back erect, you can perform the meditation exercise nicely.

The problem for most people is that they are not in the habit of sitting on the floor and the position quickly becomes uncomfortable. It may be difficult to keep your back straight. Your knees may hurt, your foot may even fall asleep. It may become so painful that instead of thinking about the mantra, you end up mentally cursing the yogi who told you to sit for 25 minutes in such an uncomfortable position. So, what should you do in this case, retire to the comfort of a chair? I would suggest that you persist in learning how to sit on the floor. While it may be more uncomfortable in the beginning, later it will help you to reach deeper states of meditation. In fact, if, in the first few months of meditation, the only thing you accomplish is to learn how to sit quietly on the floor for 30 minutes, then you have made a good step forward in your spiritual life.

One more thing I can add is that there are some limbering exercises that can help you to learn how to sit more comfortably. Visit your nearest Ananda Marga Center and ask an instructor to show them to you.

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Question: What is moksha? Is it the merging of unit consciousness into Cosmic Consciousness? Does meditation help in attaining moksha or what more should be done in order to attain it?

Answer:

These are important questions, because moksha (written moksa in the Ananda Marga system) is the ultimate goal of yoga.

Here is what the guru of Ananda Marga, Shrii Shrii Anandamurti, says about it:

"When the samskaras of a sadhaka (spiritual aspirant) are exhausted, the inactive or dormant mind merges into the unit consciousness and the unit consciousness merges into the Cosmic Consciousness. This is the state of Nirvikalpa Samadhi. Nirvikalpa Samadhi, when it becomes permanent, is called moksa or salvation."

Here he refers to samskaras, which means "reactions in potential form." That is, when you perform any action, if that action is a conscious action then you will get a reaction. If the reaction is delayed, then it is a reaction in potential form (samskara) and it will express itself one day.

The reason why most people do not experience samadhi (absorption in Cosmic Mind or Cosmic Consciousness) is that they are too busy experiencing or thinking about the results of their previous actions. If you are doing meditation and you're thinking about what you're going to eat after you've finished meditation then you are not going to merge in Cosmic Consciousness!

When a yogi exhausts all of his or her samskaras then his or her mind will be silent and it will merge with the unit consciousness (atman or soul) and that unit consciousness will merge with Cosmic Consciousness. This is union or "yoga."

That is the theory of it, but the practical question is how to do it? Many books have been written about it, and yogis have meditated for lifetimes trying to achieve moksa. In India, philosophers and yogis have stated that there are three main ways to reach the goal.

Some advocate the yoga of knowledge (Jinana Yoga), saying that if you study philosophy, do meditation and come to the understanding that you (your inner self) are the Cosmic Consciousness then you will attain the goal.

Others emphasize the yoga of action (Karma Yoga) and urge yogis to do good work in the world without ego; with the spirit that the action is being performed by the Cosmic Consciousness and it is being done to serve the Cosmic Consciousness.

The third path is called the path of devotion (Bhakti Yoga) and it means to do whatever you can to please the Supreme Consciousness. Though it is commonly understood to mean that one should chant mantras or sing songs, the true meaning of devotion is the inner surrender of your heart and soul to the Supreme Being.

It is interesting to note here that one of the greatest exponents of the yoga of knowledge, Shankaracarya, compared the three approaches and concluded that the path of devotion (and not the yoga of knowledge, of which he was an exponent) is the best way to attain moksa.

Shrii Shrii Anandamurti also said that the path of devotion is the best way of attaining the ultimate goal of yoga. Here's how he puts it:

"For the attainment of moksa what is one to do? That pinnacled psycho-spiritual existence of yours is to be offered at the altar of the Supreme. The dearest entity for each and every human being is his existence, is his feeling of existence. 'Oh Parama Purusa (Supreme Consciousness), I offer this feeling of existence, I offer this mind at your feet.' This is the practice of moksa as taught by the acaryas [meditation teachers] during dhyana (meditation). It is the practice of moksa."

So yes, one should practice meditation to attain the goal, but as you can see from the passage above, it should be a meditation in which you truly yearn to merge with the Supreme Being. If you practice such a meditation with unwavering determination and effort, then you will certainly attain moksa.

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Question: How should one deal with negative or uncomfortable emotions like anger or hatred? Especially when they arise because of social injustice.

Answer:

Feelings of anger and hatred, while understandable reactions to social injustice, are still problematic as they make it difficult to rationally approach the situation at hand and make meditation and spiritual ideation nearly impossible. Fortunately, these emotions can be effectively transformed.

It is helpful to understand that anger is classified by the yogis as one of the six inner (inherent) enemies of the mind. These are: lust, anger, greed, worldly attachment, vanity and envy. Being innate to us, their removal is not possible and their suppression is dangerous but we can learn to control and eventually transform these feelings.

Hatred is one of the eight imposed (created by contact with the world) fetters of the mind. These eight are: hatred, doubt, fear, shyness or shame, hypocrisy, pride of lineage, pride of culture, and false sense of prestige. As these are not intrinsic to the mind, but arise from outside, they can be successfully resisted.

"Overcome censure by praise, darkness by light."

Step 1: The first step in learning to control anger and resist hatred is to do your best to cultivate the opposite tendency; to replace a negative feeling with its opposite. This is key to dealing with any feeling or emotion we wish to control or transform. For example, overcome anger by patience; dishonesty by honesty; greed by generosity; falsehood by truth.

So when you find yourself feeling anger over social injustices and hatred toward the perpetrators, try to replace it with feelings of love and compassion for those who are oppressed and exploited. This will be much easier if you use your energy to do whatever you can to help. Service work such as feeding those without enough food or building shelters for the homeless is a wonderful way to encourage these feelings to blossom. Also, by generously giving up some of your time, energy and money you may overcome feelings of greed and attachment too.

Step 2: Step 1 is not sufficient. Replacing a negative feeling with its opposite is a vital step, but is only the first step in the transformation. The next step requires that you carefully follow a strong moral code. Yogic tradition recommends Yama and Niyama. This is explained in the article on Rajadhiraja Yoga.

Step 3: Spiritual practice is the only way to gain complete mastery over these and other emotions, as this enables you to eventually sublimate all such emotions into higher spiritual ideation. We recommend meditation and selfless service, along with associated practices (diet, yoga postures, chanting, etc.). Through meditation and these other practices the mind becomes more subtle, allowing the small "I", or ego, to gradually identify more completely with the universal "I", the Divine. The more complete this identification the more these emotions transform into love for all creation. You may ultimately find that you even feel compassion for those who exploit and oppress. This does not mean, of course, that one should condone social injustice, or that one should stop working for social change. But one can accomplish this work even better when guided by love and a calm, rational assessment of what is needed.

These three steps are most effective when understood as part of a single process of spiritual growth and transformation.

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Question: Why don't/can't we remember our past lives? Is there any way to remember them? What about people who claim that they can see or read someone's past and future?

Answer:

It is a blessing from the Divine that we cannot recall our past lives. Most of us can barely deal with all that has happened in our current life. The memories and attachments of multiple lives, the deaths of loved ones, the pain and violence we suffered and inflicted would drive most people mad.

Through years of meditation it is possible to recall past lives but not advisable. As one reaches a very high state of spiritual realization, all one's past lives may finally be revealed, but at that time one's personal identity is so nearly merged with the Divine that there will be very little attachment to these lives so they carry little more meaning than the lives of strangers.

Some people can see the past and future and some can see the past lives of others. Some make these claims but cannot. It's difficult to know the difference, but the best thing is to just live in the present.

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Question: I've been performing meditation twice a day for about six months now. Lately I haven't been able to hold my posture straight and this physical pain is preventing me from deepening my meditation. I have two questions: would the use of a cushion hinder any progress that I might make without one in developing the muscles needed for a good meditation posture? Also, are there other ways to alleviate my pain (mostly in the upper thigh and lower back) that I could use that don't involve material support? Any reply is deeply appreciated.

Answer:

One of the challenges we have to overcome in the beginning stages of meditation is the discomfort of sitting cross-legged on the floor. This is a very common phenomenon, especially in the West where we are accustomed to sitting mostly in chairs. But chairs (as well as beds, etc.) are too relaxing for meditation, more often than not leading to sleep soon after closing our eyes. If the body feels too “loose” in its posture, the mind will also feel the same, causing lack of concentration as well as drowsiness. So we really have to get used to sitting cross-legged on the floor. How do we do that?

First of all, find a place where you feel comfortable and where you won’t be disturbed – a quiet room, a corner of your bedroom, a peaceful spot in the garden. Sit on a blanket or mat, and keep it only for your meditation – don’t use it for anything else. You can use a shawl or another blanket to cover yourself if you feel cold.

The main areas of discomfort in the beginning are the back and the legs. Keep the back straight. This is important, not only to avoid back pain but also to concentrate the mind. We should be in a position where we feel alert and relaxed at the same time, like a cat stalking its prey. Not too relaxed, not too tense – poised. This will come with time and practice, but meanwhile here are some hints to allay the initial discomfort.

Make a "seat" by placing some folded blankets or cushions under your mat so your backside is higher than the ground. Make it as high as you like to get reasonably comfortable. That will help keep your back straight, while at the same time taking the pressure off your legs. Avoid resting your back against the wall – you will get too relaxed to concentrate. The back should be as close to a straight line as possible, right from the base of the spine all the way up to the crown of the head. Put your finger on the highest point of your head and adjust your posture while mentally picturing a straight line down the spine. Keeping your back straight will not only prevent your muscles from straining and getting sore – it will also enhance your spiritual experience by keeping the energy channels in the spinal column open.

Now, the legs. Start off cross-legged. Lotus posture – or half-lotus – is better for concentration, but you can progress to it later when you get more flexible. The flexibility you need is in the hips, but you will feel the pressure mostly in the knees, and to some extent the ankles. The range of movement in the hip joints will come with time – each time you sit down to meditate will increase the flexibility a bit more. So that's automatic. What we have to do in the meantime is deal with the discomfort in the knees and ankles.

Firstly, you can warm the joints up with exercises like the Butterfly. Hold your feet together with your hands and gently rock your knees up and down. Asanas (yoga postures) such as Yogamudra are also helpful. Contact your local Ananda Marga center to learn those.

Next, sitting on a raised platform of blankets or cushions as explained before will lessen the discomfort in your ankles and knees by taking the weight off them. Reduce the height of the blankets as you get more accustomed and the pain in your joints decreases.

Next, to really help your flexibility and comfort, as well as your ability to concentrate: become vegetarian. Uric acid and other toxins from meat are deposited in the joints, making them stiff and ultimately causing diseases such as gout and arthritis. Contact your local Ananda Marga center to learn our system of vegetarianism. You will soon find that your flexibility will improve dramatically after becoming vegetarian.

Last but not least, be determined to succeed. Take the firm resolve that you will continue practicing and that nothing will stand in your way. That determination combined with your continued practice will ensure that these initial obstacles are quickly overcome.

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Question: Can a person be reincarnated in an animal body? Answer:

Yes, it is possible. If a person's actions are predominantly animal-like then his or her mind will reach a state where it is more suited for an animal body than a human body. In this case, after death that person's mind is likely to be born into an animal body. This is called "negative pratisaincara" (counter-evolution).

In this regard, it is important to understand that a mind is always born into a body and situation which will best faciltate its expression. So in the end we always get what we want. Read more questions and answers…

Question: What is the relationship between sex and spirituality?

Answer:

Sex is everywhere – in the plant world, in the animal world, and – yes – of course in the human world too! It's natural. It's the desire for Cosmic union manifested in each unit being. As the Cosmic Consciousness abides in all things, so does the desire for union also abide in all things. But in the unit (microcosm), that desire is in two forms: limited and unlimited; mundane as well as spiritual.

This manifested world would not exist without sex. It's nature's "style" of creating diversity in the universe. So it's not something "bad" as such. It's just part of life. Without it there would be no life – only death.

Now, we've come to the stage in our evolution where we want to do spiritual practice. We still have the desire for mundane union, but we have the desire for Cosmic union too. (That's what spirituality means – the desire to unite with the Cosmic Entity.) So it's understandable that we find ourselves in a bit of a dilemma, because we have two desires that seem contradictory – mundane as well as spiritual!

Now regarding the fulfilment of those desires, it's true that we can't have both at the same time. Mundane union means limited happiness, and Cosmic union means unlimited happiness. Limited, unlimited – not the same thing! There's also the biological aspect. Lymph is food for the brain, and lymph is also what secretions emitted during sexual intercourse are made of. The more lymph you can save for your brain, the better will be your concentration and spiritual ideation. So yes, the two are mutually exclusive. We have to pick one or the other. But – and it's a big but! – we may find it very difficult to give up the mundane for the spiritual, until we get to a certain level of spiritual realization; of spiritual union. After all, we're accustomed to all things mundane – our physical survival has depended on it!

So what are we to do? Remember one thing that the Guru of Ananda Marga, Shrii Shrii Anandamurti, said: "Regarding sex, the more restraint the better." Moderate it. In fact, everything in our lives should be in moderation. Everything should be at the right time, the right place, and in the right quantity. Try to channelize your desire for union inwardly as much as you can, but that doesn't mean you should suppress your other desires. Suppression causes psychic disease. Sex is a natural bodily function; there's nothing wrong with it. But – moderation!

There are many practices that help to moderate the sexual impulse: vegetarian diet, yoga postures, half-bath, etc. These are all useful and important. The most important thing, though, is to do meditation. Without it we would lose the meaning of everything else. It is only the Cosmic perspective – the Cosmic ideation – that gives our life purpose and direction. Mundane pleasure is not our goal – nor could it ever satisfy us even if it was. We can only be completely satisfied with infinite pleasure, perfect peace and happiness – bliss. That's our goal. But while moving towards the goal there are inevitably distractions. If you can ignore them, great! That's the ideal. But if you can't, don't worry. Whatever you do, though, don't take your eyes off the goal.

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