CHAPTER VIII --- SOUL, MEDITATION AND SERVICE
You said that we need to make use of the energies which come to us in
meditation. What do you mean? What is the real purpose of meditation?
Meditation is a method, more or less scientific (depending on the meditation),
for bringing the man or woman in incarnation into contact and eventual
at-one-ment with the Higher Self or soul.
The time has passed for meditating alone, getting on with one's own personal
spiritual salvation, without at the same time accepting the need, the duty, of
service. The nature of the soul is to serve. The soul knows only altruistic
service and comes into incarnation to serve. So what is the point, as a
meditator, of spending all that time and effort getting into touch with the
soul and not carrying out its purpose? The soul is carrying out the Plan of the
Logos. It is a great sacrifice for the soul to do so, because it is so limited
at this physical level. It gains experience at this level, but the true reason
behind the incarnating process is the carrying out of the Will of the Logos
through the sacrificial decision of the soul itself.
When the soul pours its energy into the vehicles - physical, emotional/astral
and mental - these vehicles are stimulated; the soul seeks to grip the
personality and turn it into a reflection of itself. The personality senses
this and resists. Then there follows several lives of a long, -drawn-out battle
between the personality, with its powerful desire nature, and the soul. The
soul inevitably wins because it is a higher agency; its energy is stronger and
the law of evolution is working behind it. Eventually it will turn that
personality into a reflection of itself. But it can only do so when the
personality gives in and begins to reflect the quality of the soul. Then the
Spiritual Will, the Spiritual Love, and the higher mental nature can reflect
through the personality, and the man or woman becomes a living soul.
All those who have engaged in meditation will have been engaged, whether they
know it or not, in aligning the physical brain with the soul, the personality
vehicle with the Higher Self. That is what meditation is for.
When we meditate and do not use the soul energy in purposeful sefvic,-e 4he
result is always some disturbance of the equilibrium of the energies in the
etheric body. The centres get blocked; the result is inevitably neurosis or
physical plane illness of some kind. This is why you find so many more advanced
people rather neurotic. They dam up the energy coming to them from the soul
level. They do this by not using that energy in service. They use it selfishly
- in other words, they misuse it. This is a stage we all go through and there
is no condemnation involved. The way to avoid neurosis is to use soul energy
correctly. It is the most effective way to avoid neurosis and other illnesses,
apart from those, of course, which are karmic, stemming from our past.
Does Transmission Meditation lead us to Hierarchy? Will it help speed up the
process of mental polarization?
Transmission work is a door which leads to a path that takes you directly to
Hierarchy. It is part of a process planned by Hierarchy whereby the aspirants
and the disciples of the world will work in a co-operative fashion with each
other.
Most people want to approach Hierarchy whether they are ready for it or not -
they would like to meet and work with a Master. Transmission is not a way to
meet Masters, but it is certainly the simplest way to work with the Masters.
What we are really doing in Transmission Meditation (besides helping the world)
is doing Kriya Yoga, which is actually being done for you by the Masters.
Gradually, the shifting of the point of polarization from astral to mental is
taking place, without your being aware of it. What you do become aware of is
the change in yourself, in your outlook on the world. Many people have said to
me: "I feel a better person; I can do my work better; I am more mentally
focused, more articulate; I can bring many ideas together, . . .", and so on.
This is all the result of steady Transmission work. It happens just by doing
Transmission, because it is being done for you by the Masters. It is a deeply
occult meditation, and the Masters manipulate the energy for you. What you
might achieve in 20 years of Kriya Yoga practice, you will probably achieve in
one year of steady Transmission work.
Mental polarization is the result of a shift in consciousness from the
astral/emotional plane to the mental plane. It covers the period between the
first and second initiations (an average of six to seven lives), and starts at
a point half-way between these two great events (planetary initiations). Being
mentally polarized allows the soul to work through the mental plane and destroy
the glamour of astral plane activity. When the fogs of glamour are dispersed by
the light of the mental plane, a gradual shift in polarization takes place.
Many people confuse the emotional and mental processes. They imagine they are
`thinking' when in fact they are clothing their emotional reactions in astral
thoughtforms which they mistake for `thoughts'. Anything, therefore, which
focuses the mind, which brings it into action in every situation or reaction,
speeds the process of polarization. Meditation, of whatever kind (except that
state of negative reverie which is so often mistaken for meditation), is a
prime mover in this direction; a diligent determination to look, as
impersonally and honestly as possible, at all one's reactions, in every
situation, especially the most disturbing; an understanding of one's ray
structure - and therefore of one's glamours; a dedication of one's life to
service to humanity, leading to greater decentralization; all of these help to
shift the consciousness onto the higher plane, thus bringing the light of the
soul into each life situation.
Is correct Transmission Meditation alone sufficient for humans to elevate
themselves, or is it also necessary to work out one's emotions through analysis?
Done with consistency and application, Transmission Meditation will gradually
bring about the mental polarization which alone leads to emotional control. O°
course, service of all kinds, which tends towards de-centralizaton of the self,
aids in this. I would not think that analysis, unless for some painfully
neurotic condition, would be necessary Analysis frequently focuses the
attention too firmly on the self
Is Transmission Meditation sufficient in he field of service, or should other
forms of service come with it'
Transmission Meditation will be sufficient for the whole of your service life,
if you apply yourself sufficiently to it. But there is a world out there to
save, and a thousand different ways to serve. It need not be the totality of
service. You will find that whatever else you do - any other form of
meditation, of service, of activity - will be potentized by doing Transmission
Meditation.
What aspect of meditation eventually makes one cope with all the pain
experienced in the world, without being totally oversensitive to all the world
suffering?
It is true that not only Transmission Meditation but all meditation will
sensitize the instrument - the man or woman in incarnation - because it imbues
the personality with some of the qualities of the soul, such as its spiritual
sensitivity and love nature. As this process takes place, what should also be
taking place is a growing sense of spiritual detachment - not indifference, or
even impersonality, which are not spiritual qualities at all, but are simply
the separative experience of the personality. What is needed is the utmost
immediate sensitive response to the pain, the suffering, the needs of the
world, and at the same time a spiritual detachment from emotional reaction to
that pain and suffering, to enable action to be taken on behalf of humanity. If
the identification with the pain grid suffering is such as to make action
impossible, it is simply an emotional self-indulgence. The soul sees all the
pain and suffering; the Christ, who is the embodied soul of humanity, sees the
pain and suffering but has such spiritual detachment, is so lacking in
emotional reaction, that He can work in the most potent way.
You have to differentiate between a heart/love response to pain and suffering,
with a spiritual detachment which allows you to act on its behalf, and an
emotional reaction which locks you into that pain and suffering. Love is
active. An emotional reaction is simply sentimentality. It is identification,
seeing one's own suffering. It is because you see the suffering in yourself
that you identify with the outer. A love response has no sense of its own
suffering, so it can identify without reacting emotionally. It is a question of
identifying with the needs of the world without undergoing the emotional
reactions.
What is the importance of group work, and it what way does Transmission
Meditation help group activities?
The New Age is the age of group consciousness, not simply working together as a
group, but thinking and feeling and experiencing together in group
consciousnes;, total oneness. This is unknown to humanity as yet. The Masters
of the Wisdom, on the other hand, have only group consciousness. The separate
self does not exist in Their conscioussness. Working together in groups gives
humanity experience ii, (developing that group consciousness.
Humanity itself, of course, is the major `group'. We are all part of that
group. At the moment we live separated and divided lives, but in this coming
time we shall work as a group. In fact, if we do not, if we cannot realize and
express, through our structures and institutions, the inner unity or group
reality of humanity, we shall destroy ourselves.
We are beginning to understand that the works of any kind of activity goes
forward better in groups. The first thing that I was asked to do, when I began
my public work, was to form a Transmission group. There is a good reason for
that. At the base of every really active group in this work, there is a
Transmission group; that is the source of the energy. The spiritual nourishment
comes into the group from the Masters - you have a power base there, a fountain
from which you can drink all the time.
Not every group has this. Many are responding in a vaguer way to the energies
which are being sent out, but they may not have a powerful dynamic process that
keeps them continually spiritually charged to enable them to do their work with
maximum intensity. So many tend to be 'talky-talky' groups that often disband
quickly or reform and change their activities, partly out of a natural process
of growth, but also partly because of the demand for change for its own sake.
But when you have a Transmission group as the basis of all activity, you have
an inflow of energy which is constant. It is like being tuned in to the
electricity the whole time, so you always have the fire on if you need it. That
is one of the important things in groups doing Transmission work.
Which is the best kind of meditation for the new age?
There is no simple answer to this question. It depends on the individual's
point in evolution, ray structure, background, tradition, and so on.
Meditations of all kinds are methods, more or less scientific depending on the
meditation, of achieving soul contact and eventual at-one-ment. In the new age,
group activity will be the main method of work and service. Group meditation
will therefore become increasingly the norm. For those with a strong desire to
serve, Transmission Meditation provides the most potent and scientific vehicle
for service with, at the same time, the most powerful stimulus to personal
growth.
Will there be new meditation techniques given by Maitreya? Will they be
different from existing ones?
No. It will not be Maitreya's function to give new meditation techniques. That
is like expecting the managing director of a large international company to
train the office boys in office routine. Meditation techniques are, and will
continue to be, taught by disciples of the Masters. As time goes on and
disciples become ready, meditation forms will be given by the Masters
Themselves, working exoterically.
Is the healing process known as 'laying on of hands' related to alignment of
the chakras?
Yes. All energy entering the body comes into the etheric vehicle through the
chakras. In laying on of hands, the energy moves through the chakras in the
palms of the healer into the patient. The source of the energy depends on the
evolution of the healer. Most commonly, it comes from the solar plexus centre
of the healer, from his or her own life force. It often involves energy that
the healer has invoked from his or her own soul, and sometimes also from the
soul of the patient, which will augment the energy of the physical body. There
are also many healers who work under guidance, consciously or unconsciously,
from some higher source. Some disciples on the inner planes, and even Masters,
work through certain individuals, without the individual necessarily being
aware of it. The aim is always the removal of stasis and the correct balance of
the chakras.
How does one obtain healing powers?
I believe at least 70 per cent of people have the potential to transmit healing
energies from some source or other, usually from their own soul. Meditation,
service, and practice are the key methods of strengthening and fulfilling that
potential.
How can 1 get rid of negativities in my life so more light can come in?
There is no finer way to get rid of negativity than to serve, to use the light
coming in. As you serve, you begin to identify with what you serve, so you
begin a process of becoming decentralized. As you become more decentralized,
less egotistical, less the central point in your life, you become more
objective, broader in view, increasingly identified with all that is. You
identify first with yourself, that is easy. Then you identify with your family
and with your friends, and then in a patriotic way with your country, and then
more objectively with the planet as a whole?, and finally with all of the
cosmos. As you do this you expand your identity - not just your intellectual
awareness, but your heart identity - until there is no sense of separation,
until you and the cosmos are one. Then you are perfect, as the Masters are
perfect.
Many people, during their practice of meditation, spontaneously find their
hands and bodies assuming positions that are called `mudras' in the Hindu
tradition. Swami Muktananda wrote a great deal about his own experiences of
this kind. Often the meditator has no idea until afterwards that for thousands
of years these identical positions have been a part of Hindu, Buddhist, and
even Christian traditions. How does this happen? What makes it happen at some
times and not others?
This is an interesting phenomenon which personally I have experienced many
times. In meditation, a person is brought into contact, more or less, depending
on the meditation and experience of the meditator, with his or her own soul.
When holding a mudra takes place involuntarily, one of three things has
happened: either the soul itself has impressed its vehicle to strengthen the
value of the meditation by `locking in' or distributing the soul energy
invoked, or there is a spontaneous repetition, from a previous life, of an
older pattern of meditation practice. In cases (which of course are much rarer)
where the meditator.is in conscious contact with a Master or high initiate,
these latter may impress the use of mudras on the mind of the disciple during
the meditation.
During Transmission Meditation is it helpful to use certain mudras (hand
positions)?
No. If it were helpful, it would already be suggested. Keep Transmission
Meditation as simple as possible - as it is presented.
Could you tell me if icons are a good focus for meditation, and something about
their significance, for instance, the austere facial expressions of the
subjects depicted? Also, were the artists inspired in some way while creating
them?
Icons come out of the Byzantine tradition and are indeed meant as a focus for
meditation, worship, and prayer. They have been used as such for centuries. The
austere facial expressions are meant to symbolize the holiness and
other-worldliness of the divine subject matter. Icons have remained unchanged
in style for many centuries (like Egyptian art) and have been created by
artists of all levels and degrees of inspiration, from the great to the
mediocre. They would only be useful in meditation if one `believed' in the
divinity of the subjects and that they could be contacted through the icon.
How can one remove the veil of ignorance from one's mind so that true communion
can occur during meditation or prayer?
The `veil of ignorance' is the result of wrong identification, with the
separate personality rather than with the soul. The way to soul expression (and
true communion) is, as always, through correct meditation and service.
What does Shanti mean?
Peace.
(1) The Lucis Trust Triangle Newsletter reports that, according to the Academy
for Peace Research in Massachusetts, there is a 36 per cent drop in solar
activity averages for two weeks after a global peace meditation. (2) They quote
research that states since 1900, violent behaviour patterns and disease
patterns have been correlated with increase in sun-spot activity. Is this true
or wishful thinking?
(1) Wishful thinking. There is no way in which a peace meditation, global or
otherwise, can affect sun-spot activity, which is cyclic in nature. (2) True.
The increased energy resulting from'sun-s)ot activity does indeed produce
results of tension (and, often, therefore, of violence and disease) in humanity.
As a young child of seven or thereabouts living in the countryside, when gazing
after dark at individual stars, I would feel a shaft of sweetness, love, and
beauty coming apparently from the star I was looking at. As an adult I find
this no longer happens. Would you know if children are open to some influence
from stars, and if so, what is this influence?
Be ye as little children! Yes, indeed, the stars do radiate most beneficent
energies of love and synthesis and beauty and many children (and, of course,
some adults) are sensitive to this 'stardust'.
Living in electrically-lit cities, most people do not even see the stars. Those
fortunate enough to live in areas where the stars' energies can be experienced
should make use of this high radiation and speed their progress to the stars
themselves. Look up, and accept the radiance of the Blessed Pleiades as a gift
from the Gods.
[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
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Watch your thoughts, they become your words
Watch your words, they become your actions
Watch your actions, they become your habits
Watch your habits, they become your character
Watch your character, it become your destiny !
** Bhagavan Sri Sathya Sai Baba **
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