Dialogue with the Master
Anandmurti Gurumaa is a contemporary
master who is guiding millions towards
the higher realms of consciousness.
Dialogue presents the illuminating words
of Gurumaa, spoken in response to
questions posed by seekers.
Question: My job is so strenous that I don’t get time to meditate. Moreover, I cannot concentrate or sit steady. I suffer from hypertension; my family is worried as this affects my health. Now the circumstances have become very alarming. I seek your advice. Is meditation, which I am unable to do, the only solution? I surrender to you and seek your blessings. Jaidev
Gurumaa: Jaidev, you need to set your priorities. To survive in this world you need to make money, to accomplish anything, it is the perfect tool. But, when earning takes away all your time and energy and begins to afflict your body, then money is no longer a tool to survive, but becomes a killer.
You need to apply this wisdom: First, how much money is required for sustenance? Second, can it be made through other means? Third, is your schedule affecting your body, mind or family life? Then the important question is: What are you gaining? And why should you even need to seek my help? Why is there a need for me to repeat what you already know? You already know what harm is being inflicted by you on your own life.
Nowadays multinational companies pay very well. But then they suck your blood! They extract their pound of flesh! Some companies even offer oversees trips as rewards. They say, ‘You have worked so hard, as a reward we are sending you on a vacation. You are ecstatic. Wow! When you learn that your vacation is in France, you scream with joy! You are very happy that the company is rewarding you. As you get ready to leave, another file arrives from the boss; you will be in France, so you should meet the associates there and sort out some pending business with them! The person flies to Europe, USA, England or any other exotic place, but everywhere a new message arrives asking him to attend to company work there too.
Why is there a lack of time only for meditation? The reason: “You do not want to do it”
To establish yourself socially and financially, you miss out on important things in life. You do not even realize the rat race is damaging your life. You have no time to meditate. Do you have time to eat? You do eat! You have time to sleep? Yes, you do! Do you shower? Yes, you do! Do you watch a movie sometime? Yes! Television? Yes! Read the newspaper? Yes! Read a magazine when traveling? Yes!
Eating and bathing, you cannot stop – what you drop is meditation! There are so many other things you do, but never say you have no time for – shopping, movies, television, newspapers, magazines, clubs, friends! So many menial jobs you do. Why is time lacking for meditation alone? Hear the truth, “You do not want to do it.” As long as you do not accept this, you will never bring about a change. Set your priorities! You say many thoughts run through your mind. Well, the job of the brain is to think so that is what it is doing. That is why you can think about this as well. That is why you can write and express your concerns. The job of the eyes is to see, the job of the ears is to hear and the job of the mind is to think.
How can you complain about the natural function of an organ for which it was made? It was made to think, analyse and observe. It is doing it’s job very well. Why complain? You want your mind to stop thinking on demand, but it does not listen to you. You want it to stop, you want to relax, but these thoughts are overpowering.
Your thoughts cannot cease because you have goals to achieve, an image to protect, a boss to please; you have been eyeing a fatter salary package! I do not say you should not earn or hold a job. I do not say you should leave everything and become a recluse. What I do say is: understand what needs to be done when, and learn to prioritize. You have to understand this very well. What is most important to you? You have yourself written that an alarm bell is ringing and signalling for you to stop this nonsense. When you live in constant anxiety and stress, there is a good chance of your brain or heart stopping to work. Cardio-vascular and circulatory diseases are diseases of stressed out people. Your body cannot take so much stress. You are concerned about financial statements, growth charts of your company and your personal bank balance, but have forgotten about the charts of your heart and blood pressure.
The rising levels of your cholesterol, alarming levels of blood pressure; you are not bothered about that. You should be bothered about it. High blood pressure is the biggest killer after cancer and cardiovascular disease. High blood pressure kills thousands of people everyday. But are you really seriously concerned that your blood pressure is rising? Should you not be?
‘Yog Nidra’ will help you de-stress and achieve a multi-level relaxation – muscular, neurological, emotional, mental and intellectual
But the surprising thing is that you are not concerned at all. Even when you are sometimes, your doctor says, ‘No problem, pop a pill and your blood pressure will come down.’ Then you become a slave of the pills. Then you become a slave to your doctor and you end up making some pharmaceutical company very rich. You have to understand that it is your body – respect it. How can you allow this body to go berserk, to get diseased, how can you kill this body?
Life is a very precious thing and no one has ever managed to buy back life from death. No Alexander, no Napoleon Bonaparte, no Hitler – none of these people could buy some bonus time for their life. Could they? They could not. And you are not even an Alexander! Wake up man! Smell the coffee. My advice will not work for you. You ask that I bless you. How will my blessings reach you, when you have created this thick wall of desires? How will my advice reach your heart? It will not.
You have created a thick wall between me and you – a great wall of China is in between. This wall has to be broken. How can this wall be broken? This wall can be broken only by your understanding. So you have to understand and only then can I help you! You have written that you are thinking of changing your job. That may be a good thing. If lack of time is the problem, then I suggest that when you are traveling and if you have a driver, then while you are sitting in the back seat, do ‘Yog Nidra’, even though it is not good to do it while sitting. But still, in your case I will say that at least use this time to do the mantra chant, or to be aware of your breath. Urja dhyan works very well for overtly stressed people and that can be done in the morning or evening when the stomach is not full.
‘Yog Nidra’ will help you de-stress. It will help you to achieve a multi-level relaxation; muscular, neurological, emotional, mental and intellectual. And once this multi-level relaxation takes place, your sleep will be much deeper and you will have fewer dreams. When you sleep soundly, your body will begin to function in a much better way. All the important systems of the body – circulatory, respiratory, muscular, digestive, metabolic, glandular – all function well in sleep.
You complain that your mind does not stop thinking when you wish it to, your mind does not listen to you
But ‘Yog Nidra,’ ‘Mantra Jap’ and ‘Urja’ will work only when you first correct your thinking. What do you want? Well, you can want things and you can enjoy things only if you have life. If life is not there……….! What? Nothing! Save this life first. And how can you do that? By bringing understanding and discipline into your life. Live with awareness, sleep at the right time, wake up at the right time and eat at the right time. Check your diet, eat fresh and eat vegetarian, do not eat fried and stale or processed food. Check your water intake, drink at least 8 to 10 glasses every day. People even forget to drink water. They drink tea, coffee and aerated drinks the whole day through. You will soon find things improving.
“Material things are dead and dead things cannot give you life or a meaning to your life”
Do not be blind, live your life with consciousness, live responsibly. Someone sitting in a room with shades on his eyes and thick curtains on the windows complains, ‘O Sun! Where are you? Bless me, give me your rays and give me your light.’ Can the sun do anything? The sun cannot come and draw your curtains. The sun cannot come and take off the shades from your eyes.
The person has to come out of the dark room. So do not seek blessings from me. My blessings are always there. The only thing is that you have blinded yourself and are thus unable to see. Once you take off these blinds; you will be in a better position to understand what I am saying. I say live your life, make your body healthy, do not let it become sick, do not bring diseases to your body and mind. This can be done by you, I cannot give you a schedule to follow. You have to live your life and I can only guide you and tell you what can bring balance to your life: it is awareness – live in awareness. Do not hope that things can bring you happiness, inert things are dead and dead things cannot give you life or a meaning to your life.
Have you ever seen a child who is poking a finger in its eye and crying. It will not stop poking the finger and yet it complains too. Have you ever seen a dog biting and scratching his body? Blood oozes out, but he does not stop. He has an itch, so he has to scratch, he cannot stop it and this gives him pain. What is the solution to the dog’s problem? The solution is that the dog’s skin should be treated. Medicine should be administered and ointment should be applied on the diseased area. Jaidev, your brain is itching and you are scratching. Your frustrations and questions are because of this itch and it can be corrected when you apply the ointment of wisdom. Wisdom will help you see the world with a different perspective, with a new vision.
You have to live your life and I can only guide you and tell you what can bring balance to your life
