Fear is an emotion that we all experience. We feel it every time our mind categorizes something as dangerous. Everything that comes into our surroundings that our mind perceives as a danger triggers the body in fight, freeze, flight mode, sending various signals to prepare the body to protect itself, to run away from danger or fight. Some of the symptoms include increased heart rate, accelerated breathing, thickened blood (to prepare the body for injury), and sharper sight and hearing.
Our body evolved like this from when we were living among other animals and the perils of nature. Even though modern society created an artificial protection for ourselves from the natural world, our mind and body did not evolve at the same pace and still experiences fearful situations, triggering this mechanism.
This article aims to explain how the fear mechanics work, how to challenge them and become more aware of what can make us fearful. Later, we will talk through a few simple tricks to live a more mindful life.
Our mind works similar to a computer or a sponge. From the moment you are born until you die, it continually memorises all the information that it is subject to from the environment. Due to this feature, everything and everyone that surrounds you play a role in reinforcing or creating fears. News, video games, movies and people you come in contact with can influence your mind in creating more fears.
We can ultra-simplify and divide the fears into two categories: the fear of suffering from body sensations, survival instincts; and emotional suffering, which hurts our ego.
In the case of survival instincts, let’s assume that when you were young, you burned your hand in a campfire; your mind would store that information to provide a quicker defence response in the future. For sure, it is a beautiful mechanism to survive.
With emotions, your mind works alike. For example, if a person you trusted mistreats you or judges you, it will be difficult for you to get emotionally attached to someone else due to the fear of being hurt again. Your mind will trick you into avoiding open up and trust another person. Effectively creating barriers that prevent you from suffering, but that at the same time does not let you experience freedom.
We can learn how to cope with fear by first identifying what makes us fearful and what are the things that reinforce it. The most straightforward way to identify the fear is to step out of your comfort zone, do new things and notice what makes your heart pump faster or wants to make you run away. You simply challenge the fear by staying or doing what makes you feel that uncomfortable sensation. Basically it means choosing experience over convenience.
You can also talk with a friend, or a therapist. By talking through the fear and understanding which was the experience that created that barrier helps.
You should be aware of people that bring negativity in your life or drag you down instead of uplifting your mood. Let go of all the negativities in your life and try to bring in the positives. It will help you live more lighter.
Now, I invite you to imagine living in a world where the only things you hear and listen to are stories of suffering; your friends only talk about what is wrong in their lives. You are only subject to certain kind of negative experiences. Imagine and try to visualize how your life would be.
Imagine the opposite, the people surrounding you are loving and genuine people ready to support you, the news does not affect you, and you live your life in gratitude, trying to enjoy every moment as it could be your last. Imagine and try to visualize how your life would be.
In which of the two worlds would you rather live?
In May we celebrated Buddha Purnima, the birthday of Gautama Buddha. After more than 2500 years since his death, his name is still remembered, and many around the world use his teachings to find inner peace and reach higher levels of awareness. To be able to reach his stature, we need to start with baby steps. In this article, we’ll try to showcase a few simple techniques that you can implement in your daily life to help you navigate society, become more aware of yourself and live a healthier life.
First of all, let’s start by saying that everything can be turned into a meditation. Whenever you focus your attention, you are aware of your surroundings; your mind is free of thoughts and you are fully aware of the actions you are doing in the present moment. If you are doing so you are meditating. You could effectively turn your whole day and life into a meditation practice. Of course, nowadays, distractions from the mind and the outside makes it difficult for most people to live fully present at all times. Still, it is an achievable task, and to accomplish it, it must be practised repeatedly to master it.
An excellent example of this would be the scene in Karate Kid “Wax on, Wax off”, by repeating a task over and over, it becomes something embedded in your neural system. It becomes natural to you and effortless. From doing sport, cooking, learning a language, everything needs time and dedication and that you invest countless hours of your time in mastering it. In this case, we would not be looking to master a skill, but our own minds.
Now that you know that you can turn your whole life into meditation, the suggestion would be for you to focus on some tasks that you enjoy doing and turn them into your meditation practice. I would suggest finding three to five tasks that you do every day and start doing them mindfully, with full attention.
The beauty of being all unique beings is that we all have different likes and dislikes, so you can discover the things you can enjoy doing more effortlessly is an authentic self-discovery in itself.
Once you find that something, you can turn it into your meditation practice!
If you like to cook, take some time for yourself, with no technology, and do it mindfully by being in touch with your ingredients and focusing on the step by step process of cooking.
Find the perfect recipe, write your ingredients, go to the local market and find the freshest ingredients. Start cooking and get in touch with your ingredients, smell them, touch them and visualize and imagine the taste of what you wish you to create. Fully concentrate on the act and on how to put together at best all the ingredients.
You can then even try mindful eating, which has been correlated with weight loss and to prevent binge eating. Mindful eating is simply eating slowly, really tasting the food you are eating and how you eating it makes you feel. Best if you do it without distractions and in silence. Just enjoy what you eat and observe your body and sensations.
Are you a runner? Great, when you go and run, fully dive into the experience by focusing on your five senses, your breath and your body. When you feel something hurting, try to focus on the spot that hurts and continue breathing mindfully. Be aware of your posture, of your body and your breath. Apply that to any other sport.
If you like tolisten or to playmusic, you can use the same trick. Just focus your attention on the task and experience the greatness of reality as it comes, with all your senses alert.
Try and find 3 to 5 things a day you can practice mindfully, and slowly you’ll notice that you’ll get more and more aware, and you will start practising mindfulness in all the activities you undertake during the day.
Humane Airports is an initiative with a global presence, on-line representation across several social media platforms and an on-line petition. It was created to bring attention to and raise awareness of “Harassment, abuse and racial profiling” at Frankfurt Airport and later, airports across the world. It is a platform designed to support and encourage people to speak out when they see injustice happening at airports where we are especially vulnerable to mistreatment.
In most cases, we are hungry, tired and disoriented from long hours of travel, we are in a foreign land without any benevolent contact, we are surrounded by indifference and may not speak or even understand the local language. It is one of the circumstances in which it most incumbent upon figures of authority, if our safety and peace of mind is their primary concern, to guide and direct us with thoughtfulness and consideration, with a gentle hand. Yet, it is here when we often find ourselves at the mercy of insensitive and brutish handling, with no recourse and none to whom we might make an appeal.
The incident which inspired he Humane Airports movement, happened at Frankfurt Airport March 22, 2020, when Mohanji, philanthropist, humanitarian, and all round good guy; a selfless man if ever the world has seen one, was stopped at a security check point after an all night flight from Mumbai, on his way to Slovenia . In a trice, he was surrounded by airport security and within a few minutes, Frankfurt assault police, who proceeded to search his person and belongings; entirely emptying his bags and wallet of their contents, roughly casting his things about, and asking rude, intrusive questions about his wife and daughter, photographs of whom he was carrying. They asked questions about the money he had on hand; where it came from, what it was for, and how much he had. Probing of this nature is considered rude if not taboo in most of the Modern West. His luggage was swabbed and wiped in an attempt to determine whether they contained chemical residue associated with explosive substances. All was done without explanation and with blatant disregard for the personal and financial value of his belongings, his dignity, and the value of his time. The event took at least forty-five minutes to play out. There were no other travellers being subjected to similar, extraordinarily detailed and invasive security measures. Most were going through the usual security procedures which lasted for five, maybe ten minutes.
What set him apart then, from the other travellers at the airport that day? What drew the attention of airport authorities and local constabulary to him particularly and not someone else? Why the abrasive manner in which they handled and spoke to him, despite his own consistently polite if perplexed manner? Today, we like to assume open-mindedness and acceptance across the board. Tolerance, at the very least, is something we have come to expect from an educated, modern human with a modicum of sensitivity and intelligence. So, what triggered this incident of harassment? Suspicion and mistrust obviously, perhaps even paranoia. Would it have happened if he wasn’t an Indian man, with an Indian complexion, with long hair and a full beard, travelling in business class and carrying money with him, with photographs of a Caucasian wife and mixed-race daughter in his wallet? We may be forced to confront the difficult-to-swallow reality, that it would likely not have happened if he was a white man and conclude that he was assumed to have dangerous or even murderous intent, assumed to be guilty, based on the simple fact of his race and skin colour, which made the airport staff and police feel justified in their rough handling of this man – prejudice, discrimination, bigotry, racism. In polite society: “racial profiling”.
Christopher Greenwood, executive assistant to Mohanji, was there and witnessed it all. Being a seasoned traveller, he was immediately alert to the unusual and unusually harsh nature of what was happening. It goes without saying that he was appropriately shocked, appalled, and outraged by what he saw. He wrote to Frankfurt police, reporting the details of the incident (correspondence will be included at the end of this article). The response was a flaccid, noncommittal justification their behaviour as legally appropriate and a blatant refusal to acknowledge their undignified ill-treatment of a decent man.
After some research and a deeper look into the matter, he found that it was not an isolated incident and especially not so at that particular airport. He found several on-line reports of similar occurrences at Frankfurt Airport, and later, airports all over the world, all of which seemed to have racial biases at their root.
The internet is replete with reports of racism at Frankfurt Airport, Canadian airports also make frequent apperances on the list; reviews non TripAdvisor and Trustpilot review sites, personal blogs, and an online news outlet in India, all speak for themselves. One need only Google “racism at Frankfurt Airport” or “racist incidents at Airports” to see how common this kind of harassment is. Two particularly telling incidents at Frankfurt were the forced undressing of an Indian woman in front of her 4 year old child to check whether she was carrying anything in her garments. Another Indian woman was forced to show her breast in oder to prove that she was lactating, because she was breast-feeding at the time, but was not with her infant and instead travelled with an electronic breast pump, which aroused suspicion when it was run through the x-ray machine.
Along with letters to Frankfurt police, letters were sent to several on-line platforms and news outlets and were ignored. The source, tone, and content of such letters aside, when their purpose is to address and thereby reduce racism or other forms of bigotry; to bridge the gaps between people, then they are more than letters of complaint, they are appeals to humanity and the lack of traction they found indicates a widespread complacency towards divisive human attitudes.
It was becoming clear that discrimination and racial profiling, endemic to airports today, is a systemic problem, mostly glossed over or ignored entirely, and needs to be addressed to the highest of authorities on the broadest possible scale. This is what Humane Airports is attempting to do. As with any challenge which we face individually and collectively, mere complaint will affect no changes; solutions inspired by a grander and more human vision must be offered. From the Humane Airports website:
“Air travel can become a pleasurable experience once again by making basic changes in the attitude of the people who handle passengers. If policy and training have developed this callous and de-humanising effect we see today, equally policy and training can create a whole new experience for a passenger.
The campaign for humane treatment of travellers represents a campaign for a shift in the attitude of airline institutions and their governing bodies, and is fuelled by the determination not to remain silent in the face of insensitivity and discrimination. Speaking out has great value; ours are not simply lone voices quacking into the void, but are potent vehicles for change, perhaps the best vehicles for change at our disposal.
If you know of or have experienced similar treatment, you can share your experience here: https://humaneairports.com/
The following are the correspondences which were exchanged with Frankfurt police:
Nachricht: I’m writing to report an incident of severe harassment by the security guards and police during a recent transit through Frankfurt Airport.
I was travelling with Mohanji (www.mohanji.org), a world-respected humanitarian and the founder of Mohanji Foundation, legally registered in many countries with activities spread over 5 continents.
Mohanji travelled business class, and I travelled economy. I went through security without a problem, but when I looked to see where Mohanji was, I saw him surrounded by the security guards and several police officers.
When I joined Mohanji at the security check, I could see all of Mohanji’s items were being thrown out of his bag one by one as the security guard checked for “explosives”. One by one they were removed and thrown into the tray like trash. Inside the bag was a wallet that contained cards and pictures of his wife, family, friends and saints. Each of these was taken out and discarded into the tray with utter contempt.
The police officers then rechecked every item, it was an interrogation, and as the attention grew from the other passengers in the security area, the situation became utter humiliation. They questioned every item, including why he was carrying money, which is completely unnecessary as a business traveller. Mohanji always carries a reasonable amount, usually not exceeding $5000 in cash as he does not use credit cards. And since he has activities in all continents, he used to be a frequent traveller pre-covid.
What was more embarrassing was the security guards and police officers attitude towards Mohanji, which was utter contempt for the colour of his skin. Not once did they ask who Mohanji was or the purpose of his trip.
I could see that Mohanji had prepared his items very well. His jacket, his laptop, charger, hard drives, electronics and connection cords had been taken out of the bags as per the norm and put in separate trays for security inspection well before this ordeal.
This distressing and unnecessary event lasted 45 minutes, and Mohanji was left in bewilderment, having landed in Frankfurt after a 9-hour overnight flight. This particular security guard who was determined to humiliate Mohanji took the steel water bottle that Mohanji always carries as he tends to dehydrate during flights, claiming that there is water in it and threw it away. Apart from the lack of respect, it was utter contempt and racial discrimination that happened there. Every single part of the bag was opened, its contents thrown into a tray and finally, not finding any “explosives”, gave us the tray to pack back, which was not possible. We put everything inside as best as we could and left the place.
A more detailed report has already been sent to our government authorities as well.
Do let us know about the forward actions. I have included the flight details.
With regards,
Christopher Greenwood
Executive Assistant to Mohanji
PLEASE NOTE. THE ORIGINAL RESPONSE WAS SENT IN GERMAN. The below is translated using Google Translate.
Federal Police Department Frankfurt am Main Airport Frankfurt am Main, April 21, 2021
Subject area 14 – Complaints Office
Ref .: SB 14 – 21 02 04_041 / 2021_Greenwood
Dear Christopher Greenwood,
in answer to your complaint, I can provide you with the following information. But first of all please allow me to give you the information that we are requested by official order to answer all complaints in German. I am sorry and kindly ask you for understanding.
My chief, Police Director [name removed], asked me to answer you regarding your complaint.
Dear Mr. Greenwood,
Your message to the Federal Police Headquarters in Potsdam has been forwarded to the Federal Police Directorate at Frankfurt Airport for reasons of responsibility. They complain that there should have been inconsistencies in the follow-up inspection of his hand luggage at the air security check of Mr. Mohanji on March 22, 2021 in Pier A of Frankfurt Airport. In this context you accuse the aviation security assistants and federal police officers involved of harassing and racially motivated behavior towards Mr Mohanji.
I would like to answer your impressions as follows. The following principles must first be observed with regard to the control modalities for identity checks:
The control of passengers and their hand luggage is carried out, among other things, on the basis of EU regulations, in which basic and detailed measures for the implementation of EU uniform standards in aviation security are specified. To this end, the National Aviation Security Program sets out further binding specifications in its annexes for the content-related, methodological and technical implementation of the controls of passengers, hand luggage and checked baggage in accordance with Section 5 of the Aviation Security Act. The Federal Police, as the aviation security authority responsible for defending against attacks on the security of air traffic, is bound by these legal norms and laws and, in this capacity, uses aviation security assistants from private security companies to whom it has entrusted the implementation of the aviation security checks.
When carrying out the aviation security checks, the aviation security assistants adhere to procedures that are standardized by the Federal Ministry of the Interior for all aviation security checks at German airports.
According to this, the aviation security checks should be carried out thoroughly; In this respect, temporal components must not play a role. The aviation security assistants are responsible for ensuring that passengers and their hand luggage are completely checked using technical equipment and, if necessary, manually.
This has happened in the case of Mr Mohanji. A follow-up check of hand luggage is always carried out in the presence of the passenger. For this follow-up check, it is permissible for the passenger to open his baggage himself when requested by the employee and to assist with the search if the employee asks him to do so. After the check has been completed, the passenger puts the items back in his luggage and locks it independently.
Furthermore, a so-called “ETD control” must be carried out to the greatest possible extent. This involves checking for traces of explosives on hand luggage and other objects and, if applicable, on the passenger’s body. If this check is positive, the federal police will be involved in a risk assessment.
Such a control, which was negative, was carried out on Mr. Mohanji. After the procedure was completed, you and Mr. Mohanji had the opportunity to put the checked items back into Mr. Mohanji’s backpack.
The control procedure you complained about does not deviate from the procedure ordered and ultimately serves the safety of passengers in air traffic.
With regard to the water bottle that you are taking with you, I would like to inform you that, in accordance with the above-mentioned EU regulations on the uniform design of aviation security checks, it may not be taken with you, as it apparently contained more than 100 ml. The decision of the aviation security assistant to refuse to take the bottle with you is therefore not objectionable. I also refer you to generally applicable information and advice for air travelers.
Contrary to your assertion that “this agonizing and unnecessary process lasted 45 minutes”, the evaluation of the entire control situation only resulted in a time span of less than ten minutes.
With regard to the harassing and racist behavior of the aviation security assistants and federal police officers that you complained about, I would like to inform you that both the questioning of the employees involved and the video-visual evaluation of this control situation did not show any signs of confirming your allegations.
For the federal police officers called in, the ETD control of Mr Mohanji’s hand luggage was a matter that took place several times a day and was handled by the officers in a routine, calm and careful manner. There were never any racially motivated verbal attacks against Mr. Mohanji.
I therefore expressly contradict your appearance of a racially motivated and harassing control by the employees involved.
Dear Mr. Greenwood, in conclusion, I would like to emphasize once again that the Federal Police Department at Frankfurt am Main Airport is always concerned about the lawfulness and correct behavior of the officers. I hope that the police measures have been presented transparently to you.
With best regards
[name removed]
Sub: Harassment of Mohanji at Frankfurt Airport
Dear Mr. xxxxx,
Thank you for the detailed reply to our message dated 24th March 2021.
We are not here to blame you or your system of screening in your airports. Our aim and effort is to make sure that passengers are treated ethically, humanely and with respect irrespective of their class and the colour of their skin until and unless proven guilty or illegal by any means. This point has not been addressed in your reply at all. What a regular passenger expects in any airport is respectful behaviour.
We would like to point out rank disorders in the whole process which you have mentioned here. We understand from your letter that the entire harassment was in the name of “security”, which gives license to your employees to be rude, harass, and embarrass a passenger to no end and that you would justify them in the name of approved law. This is what we understand in your letter.
We would like to point out a few things:
You have mentioned that a thorough check of hand baggage is a norm. I had witnessed that many people in line for security check before or after Mohanji were not subjected to this kind of “thorough checks”. Why was Mohanji singled out? Is it not his skin colour that was bothering your security assistant? Was it not racial discrimination? The way he behaved with Mohanji was totally disrespectful and even contemptuous. I was there, and I saw it with my own eyes.
You have mentioned that this is normal and that this has happened to many people. If it happened to many people, it is outright shameful and shows in bad light your standard of ethics. You have also mentioned that it is well within your law to treat passengers in this way. Did you ever feel that you need to reassess this situation? You never mentioned that they could always first understand the background, position, social relevance or at least who the passenger is in this world. A thorough check need not be done disrespectfully, or is that also outside your law? We are sure EU Law is not made for Neanderthals but civilised human beings.
There are numerous complaints about your airport on the Internet, and if you think this is fine or turn a blind eye, we are determined to take it to any level possible because what has happened to Mohanji twice at your airport, even though you may consider it as “normal” is terribly abnormal for most of the civilised world. We have also taken this up with United Nations Commissioner for Human Rights, and we will be sending you a copy of our communications with them too. And until ethical behaviour becomes a norm in your airport, we shall involve all possible bodies to drive this point home as much as we can.
Simple things like Mohanji’s water bottle having a capacity of over 100ml became unbearable to your staff, even when the bottle was empty. Did the security assistant ask at least once why is Mohanji carrying the bottle with him? As mentioned before, Mohanji is on a particular medication that makes him dehydrated very frequently. And even if I were to agree that the bottle had to be confiscated, does the law require the officer to throw it away abruptly? Is it not possible for him to talk to the passenger, explain the constraints politely and then take whatever actions are required? This is yet another example of a lack of ethics and a rigidity that can’t be justified. Is treating passengers without any ethics, without even knowing their health condition, the proper behaviour? And this is a transit passenger, bear in mind.
You did mention that the time taken for the procedure was less than what we have stated. Of course, we did not count the specific time amidst the harassment that Mohanji went through or the entire experience from the beginning of the security check process till the end. We might be wrong. But considering how unpleasant this was, it surely did feel like an eternity, especially after a 9-hour overnight flight.
You justified your employee by saying he did the procedure in a “calm and careful” manner. Absolutely not. This is definitely not how Mohanji would have experienced it and not how I witnessed it. The security assistant was utterly rude while literally throwing the pictures of his wife, family and his reverential teacher into the tray. We do not call this “calm and careful”. We call it contemptuous and arrogant.
You have justified everything and conveniently hid it behind the cover of law. Even if the security assistant did not verbalise racially discriminative words, his body language and manner in which he was handling Mohanji was clearly discriminative, rude and unbefitting of any professional. But if ethical treatment of passengers, with basics of politeness, humane treatment and professionalism is not part of your law, it must be hereon. If the treatment is not ethical, it is not valid and cannot be justified. In a civilized world, treatment should be civilized as well. This incident has shown that suitable training and supervision of security staff at your airport, one that would include basic respect towards the passengers during security check, is not only needed but a must.
This is our point of view, and we remain committed to the cause of humane airports and humane treatment of all passengers until it becomes our experiential reality.
With regards,
Mr. Christopher Greenwood
What is the Guru Mandala? Are all the Gurus and traditions connected? If so, does that mean when you bow down to one, you also honour the other? What can we do for our Guru? How can one become a true and sincere disciple?
Mohanji: Guru Mandala represents a state, a Realm of Masters. Please understand there are not many Masters- there are only states. You call someone a Master based on a state. When a person achieves a certain state, we consider that person as a Master and there are certain signs that people connect to- a person who is contented with existence, a person who is able to deliver with conviction, a person who has consistency, a person who stands with you today, yesterday, tomorrow and every day, every hour, every minute, and does not fluctuate- i.e. stability, stillness of mind. These are all signs of being a Master. So there are various states which are possible in the path of evolution, into higher levels of stability.
The Guru Mandala means the zone of the Masters of the same frequency. When you are in a certain state, your expression will be of a certain frequency and in that frequency a lot of different Masters come together and they expound or they emit that frequency- that is what we call as Guru Mandala. And this leads to a transformation in you.
If you are in the company of such Masters, (just like when you are in a place with lots of fragrance, your whole body and your dress will also be fragrant), your aura changes, your energy changes, your pattern changes, your blockages get removed. When you are working in tandem with Masters, then evolution becomes much faster. That is why the company of Masters is always recommended in Sanatan Dharma. It may not be easy- because there will be numerous dimensional destructions happening in the company of Masters- because there are numerous blockages that we have accumulated over a period of time which we may not even see; but when you are actually with the Master, the Master understands these blockages you have and then starts breaking them. It might be very painful and sometimes it can be very traumatic. So there are certain things like concepts- the usual concepts about behavioural patterns, sexuality, the money aspect, the upbringing and the educational aspect- so many different aspects and concepts we have already collected and we think are boundaries.
Masters may destroy all these boundaries and say- Look here, all your experiences are connected to you as an incarnation and Karma is the only rule– then Masters, i.e. Masters who exist in a stable inner state, break all these things. When you are in connection with them, or when you are serving them or working with them, they start breaking all these things up. Then it might be very traumatic and fearful for some time, but after that it’s 100% freedom. You actually experience freedom because freedom is equal to lack of dependency. A Master holds your hand until you become totally free.
Total freedom is freedom from your own mind, a mind filled with concepts, fears and phobias and all the other needs. It is totally annihilated and not even a thought happens in the mind- total freedom- so a real Master creates more Masters- then you also evolve into that state and you too become part of the Guru Mandala.
You can connect to any form, because when you connect to one form, you connect to all. Forms are not that important here, the frequency is the main thing, stability is the main thing. When you connect to any form of that frequency, then you connect to every form of that frequency. For example, if somebody is an alcoholic, he will have many friends who like alcohol. Similarly, when you connect to a Master then you connect to all Masters of that frequency. That is how it works.
And are these physical realms? No. These are frequency realms and frequency realms have no physical meaning at all, it can be anywhere. So when you say Masters of the same frequency flock together, it’s true. Where they are needed, that’s where they are. So they are all based on need and necessity. It is not based on what place they like to be. There is no “like” here. It’s all necessity. What you have to do, it will be done. What they have to do, they will do. The mind has no value here. The mind does not exist here. Purpose alone takes it forward. It is only about purpose. That is the Guru Mandala.
What can you do for a Guru? A Guru needs nothing from you. If you are steady and steadfast and consistent and you have conviction in the Guru, then the Guru delivers. This is exactly how it works.
Guru is a state. When you decide to serve a Guru in a human form, you are actually serving the state. You are actually serving a frequency. Guru does not need anything from you. What does a Guru need from you? Guru is here to deliver. And what does the Guru deliver? A Guru delivers stability, a frequency, a state to you. If you are talking about a Guru in the human form, your reason for connection to your Guru is your aspiration – you would like to be in that state of the Guru.
As the scriptures say, there are no disciples for any Guru, but every disciple has a Guru, because there is an aspiration for the disciple to come to that state. So if you are serving a Guru, then basically what you need is the conviction, you need to believe and trust that you are doing the right thing. Consistency- yesterday, today, tomorrow- you should do the same thing. And continuity- whatever you do should be continuous. Not that you serve the Guru today and tomorrow you don’t have the mind or you change your mind and you do a different thing. That will not help. These are all mind related things. Guru has nothing to do with mind things.
And also, a Guru does not have any needs. A Guru will survive, it is not a problem. But you need the Guru because you need to reach the state the Guru exists in. Now the detrimental factors are doubts. If you doubt a Guru, if you criticise a Guru, if you judge a Guru, the Guru material inside you dies. The Guru aspect in you becomes dim. It’s like a lamp without oil in it; it is a burning wick with very little oil in it, so it can’t burn well. But if you are full of gratitude and love for the Guru as he is, every Master will have his own flavour. That is the way it is chosen, because the world has 7.5 billion people and 7.5 billion people are 7.5 billion frequencies. When a Master has to address these 7.5 billion frequencies, he has to have certain characteristics and constitutions to address them. Maybe he is not addressing the whole lot- but even a segment of it- he will have that kind of flavour.
Jesus had a particular flavour to address his people. Prophet Mohammed had a particular flavour to address his people. Krishna, Buddha, everyone had their own flavours and constitutions. Guru Nanak, Shirdi SaiBaba, Mahavira- all these people addressed the generations of their time and in the language and configuration which they could understand. Because the teachings were beyond their generation it survived, otherwise they were there for talking to the people of their generation.
Why did they take bodies? They took bodies so that they could convey something to the people- it’s not because they needed the body. Basically, when a person becomes a state, the body becomes insignificant. So when you are established in a state, the body is not the thing, communication is the main thing. You keep the body as long as you need to say something. That is completely based on the purpose of life, i.e. when you do not have any need of your own, then the purpose is of the higher level, or the purpose is that of service. So for that purpose, they keep the body as long as they need, to talk to people, to convey the message. Then they dissolve, and the message continues through lifetimes, through generations. And that message becomes clarified or becomes more like a philosophy which can even cause a religion. Religions are formed out of philosophies.
Philosophies are created for a certain generation and then transcends generations. This is how it happens- so if you are actually getting connected to a living Master- there is no better luck that you can ever imagine in life.
You can have any possessions you like- you can have buildings, cars, children, relatives – but the connection to a state which is represented by a Master is highest possible in any lifetime. If you can achieve that, then the next thing you need to cultivate, nurture within you is “no doubt”. No doubt, no criticism, no judgement, no fear- then you stick to the Guru with total acceptance. You will automatically raise yourself to the level and state of the Guru. Even at certain times in the past you have seen that happening. When a person increases their capacity, the Guru delivers himself completely into the disciple and he disappears. We have seen that happening- that means the disciple raises his capacity from a glass to a bathtub and to an ocean – then the Guru delivers the ocean which is himself- to the disciple and he will just be dissolved. So this has happened in history and it can happen again, but then why it is not happening frequently is because there are no disciples with full conviction, with full commitment, full consistency- for whom only guru matters, nothing else. Those kinds of disciples are not there, it’s missing- that is why no Guru is able to deliver anything to anybody- because there are no vessels to receive it.
Then what happens is that the Guru sometimes transcends himself and dissolves and leaves his body as space for people to visit, or a place of worship, a Samadhi– for the future people to connect to. Then again, it is not his body, it is not his constitution, it is his state that is creating that vibration- for that place becomes a shrine and lot of people get benefited even after his death.
But a true Guru is looking for a true Disciple all the time. The biggest achievement, the greatest pleasure for any Guru, is to have a true disciple- who does not judge him, who does not criticize him, does not doubt him, and stays there as a complete vessel so that the Guru can deliver himself into it. This is all beyond gender, it is not man or women or anything, or child or adult or anything, it is just the capacity.
If you want to do something for the Guru, be consistent. Be complete with the Guru and always look at the Guru as the ultimate option. A true disciple does not exist, apart from being a shadow of the Master. Guru is the light, a disciple assumes the form of a shadow and then he moves along with the light, with the Guru. A Guru may be a drunkard, an alcoholic, a drug addict or whatever, it doesn’t matter if you know that this person has a state- stick on. That is the highest you can do for a Guru, being there, being stable, it is up to the Guru to Deliver, but being consistent is up to you. You have to be consistent beyond time, beyond space, beyond everything. Understand very clearly, all that you have earned from the outside world you have to leave when you die, but what you have earned by your connection to a Master – this continues through lifetimes and that is your biggest asset, biggest income, biggest bank balance you can ever earn. Beyond that, there is nothing in life.
If you clearly realise that this is the highest bank balance possible, you will definitely focus on it as your first top priority. Usually, we see in the outside world, Guru is one of the options- you have nothing else to do, you will go meet a Guru. Even if you understand that this Guru is not ordinary, he has transcended time, he is eternal, he is in a very high state of awareness, still, the Guru does not become your priority, he becomes an option, “I have nothing else to do- I’ll go today.” What happens then? The Guru will only give you drops, he will obviously deliver, but you have only limited capacity. When you have the capacity of an ocean, you get so much water. But if you only bring an ounce glass, Guru can only give you a few drops, that is all you are bringing, your capacity is only that much. That is why a true disciple cannot exist apart from a Guru. A true Disciple and Guru are one.
What is your explanation of the Divine Feminine? Has it played any role in your life/enlightenment? How can we access this divine feminine grace? How can women today bring about well-being and prosperity for their families on an everyday basis?
Mohanji: Divine Feminine or Shakti is the creative aspect of Shiva. Shiva is pure consciousness and without Shakti there is no creation. So Shakti has three aspects- Iccha Shakti, Gnyana Shakti, Kriya Shakti – the power of will, the power of knowledge, the power of action (respectively). Feminine does not mean a female body- that is a wrong understanding. Feminine is the mother aspect, the creative aspect. Mother is more natural as a creator than a father. Father is a source aspect, but the mother is the creator.
Every woman in this world is a Mother by nature, whether they have children or not. The feminine is connected to motherhood, motherhood is connected to creation. So motherhood is vital, it is inevitable. You can’t really put any kind of frame to motherhood. Motherhood means what we see in this world. The whole created universe is connected to Mother, divine feminine. Shiva without Divine Feminine has no expression, he is pure Consciousness and he is complete by himself and the Divine Feminine created the creation, created the universe. All the forces of the universe derived out of Divine Feminine.
Again I repeat, it is not about a female body; when you look at a female body and decide this is Divine Feminine- we don’t understand creation at all. Feminine is part of Shiva. There is a part of the feminine in every masculine. Masculine does not have its own existence, everything is interconnected. These are all aspects of creation which are essential to continue the creation in the world and also for the universe to exist. So Divine Feminine is you and me.
But when the infusion happens, which means that the energy flows into the creation and becomes a creation, a manifestation, then that becomes actualization for the feminine. Like if you take a human Mother, or a Mother of any being, the actualization of Motherhood happens when the child happens, that means the creation happens. And every creator has a need for creation – otherwise, he is not a creator. Creator aspect only becomes reality when there is a creation happening- in the mind level it doesn’t happen. So divine feminine is real, it is powerful and if you understand that you are representing the Divine Feminine as every woman of the world- then you understand the whole structure.
Why there is this question at all is because we have attached certain sins connected to sexuality, sins connected to certain aspects of feminine- that is when all these things become contaminated. Actually, there is no sin – the only sin as I said is the violence aspect. When you are violent about something- when you are denied something and you become violent that leads to complications. So the denial is connected to certain states of morality which we think are essential, but the real state of existence is in the flow of karma; the flow of species, the flow of life is itself the Dharma. Sanatan Dharma says that every day is existence, every day is a flow; and in the flow there are twists and turns and ups and downs- that is exactly how creativity works.
In the aspect of the Supreme Consciousness, in the absolute Shiva, there are no ups and downs and twists and turns, because of its’ permanent existence. But in the aspect of Shakti, there are 3 aspects- levels of creation, dualities, time and space, utilization of time and space. All these aspects come within creation, and without this, there can’t be creation.
So when we are talking about creation, without Shakti, Shiva does not have expression and without Shiva, Shakti has no power. They are interconnected; they are two aspects of one thing. The created universe is connected to the non-created or unmanifested universe. Every manifestation has come out of the unmanifested. Every sound has come out of silence.
If you understand this then the whole thing is beautiful, it’s vibrant, it’s beautiful there is nothing right or nothing wrong. Whatever is your aspect of creation or actualization of that aspect is right. If you suppress the actualization then it is wrong because you are again making it a pending matter and only in the mind it exists. The do’s and the don’ts, the good and the bad- all exist in the mind- and once you cross over the mind, it’s beautiful, it is a grand creation in a much larger order.
You can only wonder at the creation, the Creator, and the whole aspects of feminine and masculine both. Both are two dimensions of the same thing. Both are two sides of the same coin. Just like our existence, the duality, the nature of our existence maintains the drama of life. If there is no duality, if there is no drama of life- then life is bland. Even if you are completely away from all this and you are completely withdrawn inside and not connected to it- the drama still happens. Drama of birth and death happens, drama of emotions happens, everything happens- but at the same time if you are not affected then you are stabilised in the Supreme Consciousness- that is the only thing you can connect to, the only thing you can aspire for or merge into, that is exactly what our whole life is about.
The Mohanji Foundation, set up in 17 countries across the world, is an embodiment of Mohanji’s vision to help build a more compassionate human space. It offers selfless service in many areas, such as providing free meals and medicines, orphanages, old age homes, shelters, relief, etc.
Kriya is offered by Mohanji for those who are eligible and apt for it. It is a practice that has long been preserved and protected by this tradition; ensuring the flow of grace from the Masters through initiation by the Guru.
Please visit www.Mohanji.org.
Maitri Healing is a system of energy healing, available to all, those who are sick or suffer blocks, children and pregnant women, individuals or groups, available in person or via distance.
Mohanji is the source of healing in this methodology, his grace is invoked to remove karmic blocks at the causal level by the healer, as the healed allows it to flow unimpeded.
For more info, please contact healing@mohanji.org.
The Himalayan School of Traditional Yoga- HSTY, propagates yoga in its traditional form, as codified by its’ progenitor Maharishi Patanjali. It helps you to recede to your simple, natural and original state.
For more info, please contact yoga@mohanji.org.
Mohanji Youth Club is open to all between 18-30 years of age. It engages in activities that are motivated by selfless service and love, and passion for compassion.
For more info, please contact youth@mohanji.org.
Awakening Yoga Nidra is a spiritual method offered by Mohanji for inner cleansing and evolving spiritually. Besides this, there are also retreats and pilgrimages available throughout the year for detoxing, purifying and grace transfers.
For more info, please reach info@mohanji.org.
Author: Katyayani Chowdhry
This occurred back in 2006.
I went to bed around 9:30pm and began to slightly drift off to sleep, then all of a sudden I found myself out of body standing in strange surroundings which looked much like India. As I stood there gazing around I noticed the many different nationalities of people. On one side of the street were many little shops and on the opposite side was a fenced in area with a large gazebo type covering, with tin roof. This area was up on an embankment higher than the street level. As I stood there observing I could hear many voices singing altogether in one voice.
As I approached this higher area, sitting under the gazebo’s roof were many different races of people who sat cross legged, and they were all singing praises to God with closed eye’s, and every now again they would all raise their hands as if in prayer (salutation). As I watched all this with great fascination, a little elderly Indian lady with a very “RADIANT” face came up to me. She had the warmest of smiles and seemed she had been waiting for me. As she was only little she could only wrap her arms around my waist and not my neck. Then she gave me a most wonderful loving hug as if we both knew each other quite well.
I called her by name as if I always knew it; I said, hello MOTHER. While she was hugging me I was feeling an incredible “heat” coming from her body and it was penetrating my own body, though it wasn’t my physical but my astral body. It wasn’t unpleasant in fact far from it, but rather a most beautiful feeling of deep warmth of pure love which was so strong I felt it penetrating me with great heat. She radiated such an incredible force of heat that it took me by great surprise, if only I had the good sense to ask what this was and what is it doing to me. Then she stood on her toes and raised herself a little higher so to give a little kiss on my cheek.
Then she stepped back, looked deeply into my eyes and said: “DO NOT FEAR HE IS WITH YOU. Everywhere you go there will be little devils and demons watching you closely. They are sitting on top of all doorways watching your every move. Ignore them. Remember he will protect you. Never fear, you will not be harmed.”
I was stunned at what she said, I called her Mother without hesitation in knowing that was her title, but I didn’t know her personally, (not to my knowledge anyway). She then turned and left with a white western man who seemed to be her escort, because he followed behind everywhere she went. I did see her sit with many others under the gazebo where she herself began to sing with raised hands.
She said doorways, could this mean other dimensions which I do experience often and have done all my life since at a very young age, and I have always been pestered by low entities etc. as far back as I can remember. Also in what I have been told during my own sittings (meditations), because of the rising vibration of the coming age, dark forces will run rampant trying to do as much harm as possible before their end comes. Could this be her meaning?
At last I can now put this to rest because I have just discovered the identity of Mother. For ten years she has been constantly on my mind; this discovery came about on Saturday the 6th of August while scanning through saints and sages of India on YouTube. She is The Mother (Mirra Alfassa) of Sri Aurobindo Ashram.
I have also recently discovered, through inner-help, other things which I won’t disclose because of their nature, personal. This breakthrough is all to do of the loving compassion of our loving Lord Sri Sathya Sai Baba.
Thank you Swami, OmSaiRam!
Author: Rev. Wayne E Farquhar, www.illawarraceremonies.com
Here is an experience which was very strange to me at the time, but later I did come to the proper understanding of it. This experience occurred when I was in Prashanti Nilayam in 1996 while sitting under the “Meditation Tree”.
While meditating I was disturbed by a loud commotion of young excited voices. I opened my eyes to see a long line of school children walking past with their teachers. As I resumed my meditation a vision then opened in revealing another long line of young school children who were again walking past, only this time they were all in spirit bodies. Walking beside them was Mother Teresa who looked over at me smiling.
At that time I knew she was still living in the physical, but later I came to realise that Mother Teresa was doing work on other levels and not just on earth. In her work she was helping young spirit children by taking them to have the darshan of the Lord.
At the time of having this experience I was feeling for some strange reason somewhat tired and very depleted, and I was wandering whether I should put off in going to Baba’s discourse, when all of a sudden Mother Teresa appeared next to me and said: “Your spirit is very strong let it work the body, don’t give up, get up and go.”
So I heeded her words and got up from my meditation and went to Baba’s Discourse.
While there sitting in the hot sun listening to Swami, and wearing my sun glasses at the time because of the bright glare of the sun, I looked up at Swami and noticed something strange happening. I had to lift my sunglasses off to see clearer that of what I was witnessing. Swami was changing in colour, on and off. The colour would come then go, come then go, until the colour finally settled. This colour was of a royal purple blue, a very beautiful deep colour indeed.
I could also see Swami in two forms, as I was visually witnessing all this Swami then began talking on Rama. I knew then without doubt that this was a leela for me in turning up. I then got glimpses of quick explosions of something that even today I’m still not sure of. If I had to guess I would say it was bursts of pure energy shooting out in all directions. I am so glad I listened to Mother Teresa by going to Swami’s discourse, otherwise all this I would have missed.
And for the record I discovered in 2005 that Mother Teresa was a Baba devotee. In 1997 she permanently gave up the physical body.
Author: Rev. Wayne E Farquhar, www.illawarraceremonies.com
When in India in 2010 I had some “extraordinary” experiences that will stay with me for life. One such experience was while relaxing in our room one day at Sathya Sai Baba’s ashram (Prashanti Nilayam), my brother and I were very involved in talking about Sri Aurobindo. (I’m sure many would know the name).
We spoke of the abilities and the achievements of this great Indian yogi, and how he guided the American soldiers in WWII in taking another path so to avoid an ambush by the enemy.
Sri Aurobindo accomplished this great feat by leaving his physical body and using powerful thoughts to register on the minds of the American soldiers in charge. They then responded by taking another path away from the enemy in which they were definitely outnumbered and would have all been massacred if not for the help of this great yogi.
My brother and I both laid back on our beds absorbed in thoughts on Sri Aurobindo while all the time speaking at length on this great man, a godly man who has merged.
Then all at once for some strange unknown reason my brother spoke up and said, “I’m going for a walk.” As soon as he left the room I decided to have a shave and freshen up a little because of the strong heat that India has.
I stood before the mirror in the bathroom and proceeded to put shaving cream on my face, then I tilted my head in looking down so to pick up the razor – with razor in hand I then looked up to see Sri Aurobindo staring back at me from inside the mirror.
It only lasted for some seconds but clearly this I saw. In those few seconds I received Sri Aurobindo’s words clearly saying: “Thoughts of love never go to waste. Genuine thoughts such as these are always received by those they are directed too. So I respond by letting you know this.”
It seemed that Sri Aurobindo once again used powerful thoughts to register on my brother’s mind so to have him leave the room at the appropriate time. For reasons unbeknown to me I had to see him in the mirror to be able to receive his message. Strange dont you think how things come about, and stranger still how such things work.
Author: Rev. Wayne E Farquhar, www.illawarraceremonies.com
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