Meditation can be helpful in every creative activity of our life,
every creative activity of our life - especially in the Heartfulness way
because everything that you do, think, and have an attitude with, it is heartfelt.
Daaji, Namaste.
When do you recommend that people can start meditation,
at what age do you think it is appropriate?
Well, now I think that people are ready even at an earlier age; by fifteen, they can begin.
They are more mature at fifteen than people of my generation were, even at twenty five.
That generation, even today, are not able to understand what meditation is.
But when I talk to youngsters, they are able to connect with meditation immediately.
Even guys of my times and even when they are in their 50s or 60s when you talk about spirituality,
it sounds so tragically too foreign to them.
But when you talk to the new generation today, fourteen, fifteen, and on,
they talk to you as if they know so much about it.
And there is some sort of a yearning in their hearts.
So, I find it easier to discuss with youngsters, than old folks who need to be convinced verbally.
Yes, I think it is a lot more open-minded nowadays, to talk about meditation and people are more willing to try it.
I think that the religious connotation that used to be associated with meditation is not as prominent as it used to be.
That is so true, that is so true.
Now I think, meditation and health, meditation and yoga, health and yoga,
all these things, they are kind of interwoven, you see. And there is so much of medical research in this field.
And I think today’s youth is more impressed by the research in the medical field.
Now combining it with spirituality, I think you are getting the best of both worlds.
Yes, that transitions us really well to our next topic. In medicine, we talk about the four pillars of health.
One of them being Nutrition, the second one being Physical activity, in which Physical Yoga fits into that pillar,
the third one being Sleep and the fourth one being Stress Management.
So, how do you think meditation fits in one of these pillars and how can it really be beneficial for health?
It is not only for these four things. Meditation can be helpful in every creative activity of our life,
every creative activity of our life - especially the Heartfulness way
because everything that you do, think, and have an attitude with, it is heartfelt.
And whenever we do anything connected with the heart, it becomes creative.
You see, when you are forced to do things, it cannot be creative
But when your heart can be associated with any activity, joy goes with it, your willing participation will be part of it.
And so the entire act becomes very creative and unique in approach.
Like, you are forced to cook, for example, versus, you enjoy cooking,
because your heart is inclined to do that, you see – there is a big difference.
You read a book. You force a child to read a book,
versus a child who loves to read a book – it is a different thing, you see.
So, the heart has its own way of relishing itself.
But fine, how it can, and try to touch all activities through heart, you see.
Then those activities will also become heart-based and spiritual.
So the hope, the defining characteristic of the Heartfulness Way is Transmission,
and that is one of the main things.
And how do you think transmission would help somebody who has a lot of anxiety or a person who suffers from depression?
Because this is the phenomenon that is happening in our culture,
as increasing rates of anxiety and increasing rates
of depression and these people are looking towards meditation andyoga to help them.
So how do you think the Heartfulness way can help them in their struggle?
The way we associate with ourselves, how we identify ourselves with things,
with properties, with relationships, whether it is out of right understanding,
or wrong understanding, or illusion - we react to illusions.
The reality may be true. The building is burning – it is a reality.
But the fact that it is not yours, creates a different set of emotions and moods.
Now, a person who is spiritually inclined, his thinking is of a different order.
He says, “Okay, though this house belongs to me, I have purchased it once,
I have earned it once, so I will earn it again.
I will make it again.”
He gets some sort of inner strength from an unknown Source from within.
He develops that confidence that, “Yes, Okay, there must be something behind all these things.”
Then he gathers his strength and comes out of it, you see. Another person would go crazy.
I mean, the building is burning, it is going down. There is nothing you can do now? So cool down.
Do the best you can. Worrying is not going to help you.
If I am in a situation that is creating stress and anxiety, accept it.
If I am going to fight with it, it is not going to disappear.
And this acceptance comes through good understanding,
and this understanding would come when I reflect within myself.
And I come to some sort of solace and understanding, “Yes”.
And some courage would come from an unknown source”. It is a matter of experience again.
When we go deep within our meditation, everything will iron out, everything will find its balance-spot.
So, directly or indirectly, meditation, I would say, does help, it does help in reducing anxiety levels.
But I would not say that we should totally remove our stress levels.
Stress levels also contribute to something.
Suppose you are a surgeon, dermatologist, imagine that you did not have stress before your study.
Some level of stress is required, otherwise, you would not have studied well.
It is very true. I am stressed on a daily basis. But it makes me a better surgeon
Well it should not be so much that it gives you a headache.
You have to have it and respond to it. Stress is a mechanism.
I would consider that as a mechanism, or an inner signal to act.
Once it crosses its limit, something should happen, from within ourselves, a conscious effort should be made.
Many a time, without making even conscious effort, we adjust accordingly.
A person may not even have to consciously act and subdue the stress.
Because it is his inner nature, inner radar is so well equipped that he can laugh at a situation.
He is not trained to laugh at a situation.
But it is innate in such a person, “Okay, what can I do? I have to study”.
“What can I do? The building is burning. I can do nothing, anymore.
Before that, I could have taken the step of how not to allow it to happen in the first place.
Now I missed that opportunity and the building is burning. I can do nothing about it.”
So, it is a post-facto analysis. Most people go crazy even before things happen.
There is an examination or there is an interview with some, you know you are going for a job.
If you worry too much about the interview, you will not prepare yourself well.
And if you go too casually also, you might fail.
See the fear, it is needed to some extent, but not so much that it can disable you altogether mentally.