Question:

How to be in Sakshi bhaav and master the mind when I don’t have any means of Sadhana, Seva and Satsang because of a personal situation? I am averse to 2 people in my office, my mind is getting trapped. Knowledge takes a back seat many times in a day. How to NOT create karma?

Answer:

If you have the intention to not create karma; to keep your mind calm, relaxed, and peaceful and centered; to be on the spiritual path; to be a good person in the world, do you think that would suffice?

No, just intention is not sufficient. Making an effort is equally essential in that direction, and intention does not equal to effort.

Many people come to me, and say, “I have been listening to knowledge/meditating/going to satsang for so many years but I do not see a change in myself; this technique or knowledge is not working for me”. The problem is not the technique/knowledge; the problem is you are indulging in Budhi-vilas (your intellect is roaming in a pleasure garden during satsang, knowledge, sadhana etc.). If Budhi-vilas is your priority, you will never reach anywhere, even after hundreds of life times. This path is not for spiritual entertainment. It has a higher and deeper essence, and the essence lies in effort not just in an intention.

Effort is a mandatory prerequisite on the spiritual path. So whether one is blessed with the opportunity for Sadhana/Satsang/Knowledge or not, one must make an effort to be centered; one must make an effort to withdraw from this world of people, situations and things and go within. This does not have to be done with eyes closed in meditation; this must be a part of your everyday routine life activities whether in office/family/social environment. Let us understand how to do this now.

Process:

Take your attention to the object of sight that is in front of you right now: that object of sight could be your computer/phone, wherever you are reading/listening to this knowledge…pause reading/listening…. and just be aware of that object for 30 seconds…………. observe it carefully…..

Now take your attention to the eyes, through which you are reading this, or the ears through which you are listening, to this knowledge……..just be aware of the eyes/ears….. observe carefully the sensations in the eyes/ears now……

You have taken one step from this external world to your body by taking your attention from the object of sight/sound [phone/computer] to the sense of sight/sound.

Now take one more step back to the seer/listener………When you take that step back, you will become one with the seer who is seeing this object through those eyes………. This is called ‘Abiding in the Self’……… Now just be there………..just settle in that core……..just settle with that seer/listener………….JUST BE!

Be there in the core of your being, and then you can do everything that needs to be done; work from that center, this requires practice…. And this requires effort…..continuous, ceaseless, incessant effort, is the only way to help you reach the ultimate realization. It is called Zabardast Purushartha! There is no shortcut if you are looking for one!