Parents and teachers must see that children learn good habits and attitudes in their formative years. What is read from books must be contemplated upon and reflected upon in silence and quietness. This is a very good exercise in intellectual development and in the acquisition of mental peace. The instinct to quarrel and fight over any and all misunderstandings must be regulated and sublimated. You should not cause children to suffer mental anguish or physical pain! Children also should not enjoy the infliction of pain on any being. They must be brought up with a sense of responsibility. They should be taught not to take delight in showing off their dress, ornaments, status or wealth before the less fortunate. They must be taught from early on, habits of personal cleanliness and most importantly, the habit of prayer at regular hours.
(thought for the day)
Baba
Bhajans is a wonderful way to make the experience to be in the present, to get out of the mind and to not allow the mind to take over during the singing.
Knowing that Atman is only presence and if we notice during singing that our mind is still preoccupied in our projects or thoughts, we can let go and flow with the sound, it is also a way to get into the feeling. If the focus is not on the voice, but on the self, realizing we are all the same, we also don't get tired, we can start at any point new again, because it is all the same. It is a great experience of good energy to stay in the presence and as there are people singing together, we really can get energized by that.
We usually feel the presence of Baba. If I close my eyes, it is like the beautiful times of Darshan, in my minds eye I see him walk around and giving Darshan to people, the sweet center of it or he is sitting in his chair and is listening to the Bhajans and it is a great feeling realizing that if two or three are in his name together, he is in the midst of us.
Whatever disturbance in the mind which is always preoccupied with thinking about something, the future projects and the past, we can just let go and just be in the present. That is a very good exercise and being aware that Atman is in the present only and that the mind is constantly keeping us inside busy thinking about something, preventing that we can live fully in that present, if we know that and realize it, we of course can help the mind to calm down. I usually notice when I am not enough in the sound, when I begin to get bored. I am not enough into singing but in the mind.
It doesn't matter as the others go on singing and nobody notices it, but it is good to get aware of the difference. It is always rewarding and a beautiful experience to feel that flow of oneness and growing enthusiasm in the singers. Some
people were sitting down afterwards and just enjoying the energy. That is Baba's energy, his presence and it is that real, if I close my eyes I feel like in Prasanthi Nilayam. We had a great Bhajan.
My daughter is doing her work, knows her way around, but she is used that her mother takes care and she it was never possible to get her into a good habit to get over that messy attitude. We hope that day she will begin out of herself to clean up, because she will have to when she is married and has kids.
She is looking forward of having a family, her focus is not only work and she goes out with some other girlfriends in the moment and they are enjoying themselves much more than if it would be with boys. So usually she is with a group of girls, they always drink something already before they go, it is less expensive I guess and afterwards, only little.
Even though I know it and I usually can't help to get worried anyhow, it takes over and that's it. It is difficult to get out of that state of mind. They leave around midnight and come back in the morning, and I guess it is with that timing I have some problems, that is how it has changed and it seems today it is like that. Most of the clubs only open by midnight.
In our time that was the time when they closed and only some went on till 4 am. But today there are some open all night till 7 am. That is party night and I usually don't sleep well, even if I try to when she is out all night.
Often when she is getting up she is in a bad mood and I avoid to say much, because she will find fault with anything just expressing her bad mood. I don't get into her nagging, but I make her aware of it if I can.
This is a very good exercise in intellectual development and in the acquisition of mental peace. The instinct to quarrel and fight over any and all misunderstandings must be regulated and sublimated.
If she gets aware of it, she usually stops or excuses herself afterwards, but she gets aware of it also with her friends.
You should not cause children to suffer mental anguish or physical pain! Children also should not enjoy the infliction of pain on any being. They must be brought up with a sense of responsibility.
That sense of responsibility is in my daughter. She asked how it was at Bhajans and I told her good and that it got me out of the mind and that a lot of positive energy is created by such a group singing. I told her that also dancing gets us out of the mind, but it doesn't mean that we don't fall into it again afterwards, but for the moment all problems are gone.
Usually it is not that easy to stay in that state of presence, because after a while the mind takes over again, but it is good to know how we can get out of it again. That is also the aim of meditation to get us out of the mind in a state in the presence, enjoying the present and not being constantly directed from inside by the mind. If we get aware of the difference between mind and no mind, we can do a lot to help us to get out of the mind.
As I was also into dynamic meditation and dance, what is very efficient in getting us out of the mind, when the body expression is involved, only it also not that easy, because we have to know the body level as well and not let it take over in the mind.
Usually listening to music in driving to work or back brings up the nice memories I got during that dynamic meditation time and it makes me enjoy the moment just in listening to that music. I went also into dynamic meditation, because we have here the street parade. It will be next Saturday and it feels like the whole city is a huge party. Years ago I was just standing there and listening to it, just feeling silently the beat and it is always the same techno sound and above was a screen and on that screen was written, love, tolerance, respect and peace ... the highest ideals of spirituality ... and after a while it felt like the city was moving in that beat, there was not difference, all one, just that. It was a great experience, very fulfilling. I had never before felt the city like that. It resulted in a feeling of enthusiasm and joy.
Since I had an all different feeling for the city and that is why I liked those modern ways of getting aware of oneness, because if we know how, we can not only experience it during Bhajans, but even during the Street Parade, there are more than a million of people in the city usually. It begins in the afternoon, the big parade mobiles move through the city around the lake, like a lake parade and the sound it that loud, it feels like it is all over the city. The lake is full of boats and people enjoying the party from the boats and everybody is dancing in the streets and some are sitting in the background just watching and enjoying it.
The divine energy is everywhere, it is only a question how we experience it and how we understand and enjoy it.
The street Parade was first organized by the Goa group, I guess that began with the Hippies, but it is in the spirit of peace and it is based on the knowledge of oneness and how to get aware of it in big groups.
I was not surprised when I realized that the knowledge comes from India. From where else could it come, it is only that beautiful vedic tradition and vedic culture that has in details the knowledge of oneness, knowing how to enjoy the moment, establishing good energy in big groups and if that is present in that moment, everybody can enjoy it. It is the same principle.
It is an incredible feeling to see the party out of that sight. It feels like the whole city gets alive in just celebrating, dancing and enjoying, it feels like the heart beat of the city vibrating and breathing in that beat of that constantly repeated rhythm. It is real beautiful.
So many people just enjoying, dancing, celebrating, no fights, hardly any accidents.
And on every party mobile is always written, no drugs, of course, there are drugs, but there are also others like me who just enjoy it. We don't need drugs, it is much better without!
There is nothing like getting out of the mind and feeling the present in the heart beat of a city in joy, dancing, laughing, celebrating. If the weather will be as beautiful as it was this weekend, the city will be full of people, where ever you look it is like an ocean of happy and laughing people, dancing and enjoying. It is the big size enjoyment what makes it.
The street parade was one of my first conscious experiences of oneness.
I was just standing there and feeling the beat. I was in the midst of it standing near the bridge and the lake and around me all people were moving, dancing, walking and I was just standing there I don't know for how long time feeling that techno sound inside, the city became one, there was no difference anymore, we were all the same and just 'that'.
It was an amazing beautiful experience, going back to my apartment even the tramway felt like breathing the same beat and it was everywhere, it was in the air and it was great to be part of it.
It expanded over the whole city. But the reason that happened was of course in Baba's knowledge, because with him I learnt to get to the experience of just being in the present, in being aware that I am not that, and not this, 'neti, neti'. It had become my meditation, that is also how I sat in darshan, always 'not this and not that' in the mind and Baba made a big smile. The mind was not disturbing, it was not taking over and I could sit there and enjoy Darshan, without being disturbed by anything and that was great.
The mind of people is always present and we can feel it in the air and the thoughts are just there, but if we are aware of, not this and not that, we can be in the biggest crowed and we get constantly away with it, the mind cannot take over. In my meditation I could feel the beat after a while as the only thing present.
And that is what did it. I was in the present, but as we have that wonderful knowledge of knowing how to be in the present, the city switched in my inner awareness and was also nothing but one celebrating presence, the wholeness of it, we just have to get aware of it.
That is how I noticed how good the energy can get if that many people are together in oneness. We had that experience already with big meditation assemblies and it was great energy. It was present also during the Kirtans singing and dancing with the Hare Krishnas and it is in the group of Bhajans, and it is in the dancing Buddhas, but it is also on the level of the city and the Street Parade, if we know how to get the experience ... and what is great about it that it includes everybody.
But the result of it is 'peace', a wonderful feeling of peace ...
And all those serious people who don't go, because the mind is too serious...
Of course, that experience I cannot share with my daughter, she has to realize it herself. And the habit of regular prayer I also have not managed to establish, no prayer ... but who does that in our society, they dance, they drink, they enjoy. Only if they would realize that prayer can be such that they can enjoy more, they would be motivated to pray... to enjoy more.
It is really like that, nothing is as great as the feeling of oneness, being part of that pulsating, lively, sweating, loving, dancing and sharing city in the trance of the beat of the techno sound.
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