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LESSON1 RAJA YOGAMEDITATION STEPBY STEP The'RajaYogaMeditationStep by Step' coursewill help you in learninghow to meditate, it presentsa structure.Within this frameworkeach one is given guidelineson how to meditatecreativelvand succesfullv.

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Of courseevery structurehas it's limits and it is never absolute.The wonderfulthing aboutRajaYogais that it is a creativeprocesswhich is individualand uniquefor everyone. RajaYogaenableseveryoneto havetheir own experiences on the self and God. Nonetheless, it's goodto havea certainstructureto guideand assistyou. We will buildup the structurein 4lessons.step by step. * Oneof the first questionsyou can ask yourself,evenbeforeyou start meditating,is: WHY DO I WANT TO MEDITATE? What is your personalreasonin wanting to learn meditation?What is it you want to achievethroughmeditation? In the coursewe will take time to experimentwith the material.In this way it will not be just theory,but an experienceas well. So let's take a minuteto think about this question: Whv do lwant to meditate?

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(Teacher:Takea minute of silence, then ask a few of the students what thet reasonsare, After asking the students you can give some suggestions, such as:) Reasons to meditatecan be: to becomepeaceful,to improveyour power of concentration, to reducestressand anxiety,to buildup innerstrength.Or maybeyou feel depressed from time to time and want to know what is the reasonfor that and what the solutionmight be. Maybeyou would like to get to know your own feelingsa little better,to find out who you reallyare. Or maybeit's a relationship with Godthat you want Your reasonsfor wanting to meditatewill probablychangefrom time to time. When you havedeeperinsightinto yourself,therewill be differentthingsyou will want to know. And from time to time when you ask yourselfthis question'Why do I want to meditate?',you will notice other answers,other reasons,other perspectives. The more you understand why it is that you are doingsomething,the cleareryour goal is, the more powerfulyour motivationwill be and the moredirectedwill your effortsbe in reachingthat goal. BALANCE: OUTSIDE/ INSIDE (mafte (spiritualityl One of the most importantreasonsfor meditationts to restorethe balancebetweenthe insideand outsideworld. Most of us are ratherout of balancein this respect.

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WHAT IS MEDITATION? * lnnef dialogue I lnner healing * Recharging the battery of the soul through connection with the Highest Source of spitituat energy INNER DIALOGUE Meditationis an innerdialogue,a conversation with yourself.In our liveswe spendquitea lot of time talkingto others.When we are lookingfor answersto a question,we tend to ask others:"What would you do if vou were me?" But, of course,the other personis not you and in the end you will have to decidefor yourself.The moreyou get to know yourself,the more you find out about what it is you reallywant. That'swhy an innerdialogueis so important.lt's a conversation, a relayou tionship,with the one whom reallyare.

During these inner conversationsyou get to know yourself: your deep desires,youl strengths,talentsand qualities.But alsoyour weaknesses becomevisible,lt,s imoortantto your personality. learnto look at all theseaspectsof A lot has happenedto the soulduring the courseof time. There are lots of inner patterns,ideas and misunderstandings that, play a role in our lives.ldeasaboutour role,status,religion, consciously or unconsciously, colour,creedand culturehave dictatedour livesto a great extent. Theseconceptshave madeus'body-conscious', developingin us inferiorityor superioritycomplexes,intolerance, fear,insensitivity,disappointment and loneliness, All thesetypes of experiences have led us away from who we reallyare: the original,completeindividual,that is. the eternal sout.

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You can readbooks,arguewith othersor follow one courseafter the other,but in the end you will only find your realself in the silenceof meditation.For no-onecan tell you exactly who you are. You can only experiencethis for yourself.That,s why it,s so imDortantto take time for this.

INNER HEALING Havinga silentconversationwith yourselfis very healing,In fact the word ,meditation, comes from the Latin 'mederi' which means'to heal'. Meditationliterallymakes vou 'whole' again. When we don't know ourselves, we feel lost: Who am l? Where am I g o i n g ?W h a t s h o u l dl b e d o i n g ?W h o c a n I t r u s t ? W h a t i s t r u e a n d w h a t i s f a l s e ?y o u r ' h e a r t ' m a yt e l ly o u o n et h i n gb u t y o u r ' h e a d ' t e l l ys o u s o m e t h i n eg l s e .W h a t e v eIr t h o u g h t was right yesterday,no longerfeelsright today.

No-onecan solve these questionsfor you exceptyou yourself.your own experienceis more powerfulthan anythingelse.That's why RajaYoga pays so much attentionto the experienceof meditation.That's where the answerslie. When you begin to experience yourselfas a spiritualpersonality,others may try to undermineyou, but no-one can destroythis innerreality. RECHARGING THE BATTERY But meditationis especiallyabout rechargingyourselfwith inner strength.This can be achievedby connectingwith the HighestSourceof spiritualenergy.Spiritualpoweris very essential,Lack of spiritualenergyis the reasonfor just about every problemwe have in

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The very first step jn meditationis to becomesoul conscious.This has been introduced alreadyin the introductioncourse.The questionis however,have you reallyexperienced yourselfto be a soul and have you been able to sustainthis experience?Visualisation helpsto createand sustainthis consciousness. Visualisation meanscreatingan imageof something in your mind. + Let'sexperiment with visualisingourselvesas the point of spirituallight in the centreof the forehead.(silenceand commentaryl I turn my attention within.., I disconnect from the things around me.., from sounds. the things I see,people around me... I focus all my attention on myself... I see myself as a point of spirituallight in the centre of the forehead...I visualise this point as a star.,, a sparklingstar,.. clear and pure... very powerful.-. l, the soul, am etenal and imperishable,.. I am the spark of living energy giving life to the body,.. I sparkle like a star in the centreof the forehead,..all my attention is focused on this one point... on the one whom I reallyam... I am light... a point of living light... Visualising ourselvesto be a point of light is very importantbecausefor so long we have you createa new and pure thoughtof ourselvesin termsof bodies.Throughvisualisation imageof your true identity.The more you remindyourselfthat you are a soul, the more the originalmemories,experiences and feelingswill emerge.lt is like an inwardjourney,a journeyof recognitionthroughwhich you returnto your own essence.

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WHAT IS A SOUL? * Mind * lntellect * Sarska/s

What exactlvis a soul?

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The soul is a point of spirituallight and consistsof three subtleorgans.In the sameway that the body hasorgans(eyes,nose,ears,mouth,etc) so too the soul has subtleorgans. Theseorgansare non-physical and havedifferentfunctions.

Firstof all there is the mind. In the mind all our thoughts,feelings,emotionsand experiences becomemanifest. * So look insidefor a minute. What do you see?lminute of silence)

MIND Thingsyou are becomingawareof are insidethe mind.The mind is like a screenon which all sorts of thoughts,images,feelings,experiences, etc. are constantlybeing projected. goes The mind'sfunctionis to think. lt even on at night {dreams).When the mind works without a particulardirectionor aim, you couldsay that it is on'auto-pilot'. automatically, The mindis then workingaccordingto the patternof accumulatedhabits. In which case we arenot usingthe intellect. INTELLECT The intellectis the organ within the soul that can distinguishbetween the different thoughtsin the mind. The intellectjudgesthe thoughtsand decidesalongwhich line the mind shouldthink. So, the intellectallows us to determinethe types of thoughts and

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* Now, let's practicethe four questions, I sit relaxed...in silence... and disconnectmyself from the things around me... the next ten minutesor so are for me alone... to know myself,., to be with myself,,. I don't have to think about otherc... I don't need to worry about the things I still have to do... I ask myself: Who am l?,., who am lreally?..- automaticallymy mind focusses towards the one lreally am... the soul,., the incorporeallight in the centre of my forehead.-. the soul who is eternal... the spiritualself... the soul who is imperishable.,.the eternalpoint of light. lnsideI, the soul, lie all my experiences.,,my whole identity... what I am is inside this tiny point of living light... this is who I really am,.. immortal... eternal... I let these thoughts penetratemy mind.., lam immortal.., living light,.. incorporcal... lam not matter... I am not this body-.-and I ask myself: Whatis my form?... I am a point,.. very small, but so powerful... a point of spiritualught... I shine like a staL.- like a pure, clear star of light... I visualisemyselt as this stat.., and I rcalise that l, the soul, control my body frcm within this point in the centre of my forehead,,.I am a point, radiatinglight... and I ask myself: Whatare the originalqualitiesof l, the soul?.,. my originalguality is of pure divinepeace... peace is my originalnature-.- the closer I get to myself, the deeper I go into my original peace...peace, my o ginal strength..- I am no longer distracted by a the things around me..- peace and silence,..peace is such a great power.., the power of my true self... the power to be stable under all conditions... I allow this feeling of pure peace... the peace of my originalnature to flow through me... peace belongsto me... peace is me... and when I am close to my real self, I notice how strong I am... I have strength,.. the power to be myself wheneverI want.., beyond influences...I am completelyinside... very quiet.,. vety peaceful...at one with myself,.. peace and silence. ln sitence I experiencea leeling of love.-. love for who I really am... understandingof myself..-acceptanceof myself... respect for my originaleternalbeing... when I seemyself in this way, love emerges,.,and confidence..,and I ask myself: Wheredo I come from?... I realise that my originalhome is far, very tar away lrom this world of sound and matter... it is the world of eternal peace... the world of light.,. of silence.-.the wo d beyond of stillnessand peace... this is my silent, eternalhome... this is whereI come from... the world of silent peace and light... peace and light. Om Shanti. OM SHANTI

: w o w o r d s y o u a l l k n o w b y n o w , W e s a y ' o m S h a n t i ' t o o n e a n o t h e rt o O m S h a n t iT and othersof our originalnatureof peace.lt is importantto realisethat remindourselves i eans'peaceE ' . a c ht i m ey o u s a y ' O m S h a n t i i' t ' s i m p o r t a n t O mm e a n s ' la m ' a n dS h a n t m feel it, otherwise it becomes a hollowphrase, understand and to

It is alsoimportantto learnto meditatewith eyesopen.You will find in the long run that it during your daily activities. will be much easierto keep up a meditativeconsciousness poster you your meditating can focus eyes on the of the SupremeSoul who, like Whilst us, is alsoa star of light. Om Shanti.

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The secondthing to realizeis that we are influencedbV whatever we focus on. The mentallinkwith a person,an objector a situationbringsup certainfeelings.We all know how this works: when we think about somethingnegative,negativethoughtswill emerge in the mind.Thesethoughts lead to feelings.And feelingsgive us an experience.ln the sameway we can also connect with somethingpositivethrough which the mind will createpositivefeelings.The choiceis ours. CONCENTRATION The longeryou manageto stay in a certainconsciousness, the deeperthe experienceof thosethoughtswill be. Focussingon a certainsubjectis done by the intellect.When the mind and the intellectare stable in one consciousness, this is calledconcentration.lt is onlywhenwe are concentrated that we can havean experience.

So meditationis: mind and intellectare stablein a spiritualconsciousness. We learnto pure peaceful focusour attentionon the essenceof our being,the soul, and we experjence this.The reasonwhy we find it difficultat timesto concentrateis becausethe intellect has becomeweak. Thereare many things that influenceour intellectin a negativeway. The obvlousthingsare: liquor,drugs and cigarettes.But also watchingtelevisionfor long periodsof time; overwhelming emotions,such as: anger.fear, worries,sorrow or desires. Theyalsocloudthe intellect. If you are not attentiveduringthe day and do not filter the impressions that cometo you. polluted. yourintellectbecomes Whenyou want to meditateat the end of such a day, you will haveto strugglefor a while to get rid of all the unwantedimpressions. * Yoga = Connection * Connection = lnftuence * lnfluence = Expeience

The word yoga literallymeansconnectionor union. As we saw, you are influencedby whateveryou connectyourseliwith, So, wheneveryou feel a certajnemotioncomingup, you can askyourself:"Hey, what's happening? What did I connectmy thoughtswith that makesme feelthe way I feel?| did that myself.I choseto connectmyselfwith something or someone." A RajaYogi consciously choses with whom or with what to connect the mind. A Raia Yogi controlsthe mind. 'Raja'means king, the master of the self.

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We are constantlyconnectingour mind to someoneor something.ln a sensewe are all constant'yogis'.So, beinga yogi isn't difficultat all. The questionis however:what kind of yogi are you? Or, in other words: what do you connect yourselfwith? A RajaYogi learnsto connecthis intellectwith his originalpersonaltyof peace.love, purity and power andwith the SupremeBeing.

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* Let'sexperiment with yoga.

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Sit relaxedand imagine you are in your own home.-. now you go to the kitchen... Iook around you.-- it's all familiar.,, you see the cupboards, the sink, the stove. the fidge... now walk to the tap-.- open the tap... put your right hand under the tap... feel the water flowing over your hand... now turn off the tap and dry your hand-

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Silenceis an inner power, lt means being able to connect with the essence of our being, with that originalpoint of peace, of harmony, of wholeness.Silenceis a quiet place behind all thoughts,feelingsand emotions. From this place of quiet I can, like an observer.look at the world from a distance.

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Silenceis somethingyou can build up inside of yourself, you can create space for silence, r h i c h c a n a l w a y sb e u s e d a t l n t h i s s p a c ey o u c a n b u i l d u p a s t o c k o f s i l e n c e ,a r e s e r v o iw 'meditation Yogis have room' inside their mind, a place of silence the time of need. Raj a they can always go to.

* Let'sseeif we can be completelysilentfor just one minute.(minuteof silence)

Was it possible?No thoughtsat all? Makingthe mind completelysilent is not the main practiceof RajaYoga, RajaYoga is the art of stabilisingthe mind in one consciousness for instancepeace. When you think deeply about peace. you'll find your mind will graduallybecomemoreand more quiet,until only a few essentialthoughtsremain.lt then feelsas thoughyou can 'float' on thosethoughts,Silencecomesautomatically when you give your your learnto focus thoughtsthe right attentionon one idea. So, learningto directiontakesyou into silence. T H EE X P E R I E NO CF EE S S E N C E Goingbackto the essencegivespower.Think about the essentialoils of flowers,These Just a drop is enoughto spreada lot of fragrance.In the same oilsarevery concentrated. way, our concentrated thoughtsare also very powerful,lf, on the contrary,we 90 into we losepower. wastefulexpansion, * Fuel * Chuning * Visualisation

FUEL Forthe iourneyupwardwe needfuel, first of all to get off the groundand secondlyto be ableto remainin our placeof destination,at least.for a while. * What do you think this 'fuel' is? Let's think about this. (Shortsilence.Studentsgive their answers) Powerful,positivethoughtsare our'fuel'. Positivethoughts'lift us up'. negativethoughts makeus heavy.So, our thoughtsare our fuel. As long as you have uplifting,powerful When your positivestock thoughts,you will be able to stay in a spiritualconsciousness. runsout, then you fall back into ordinarythinking.The art of the spiritualupwardjourney is to have a largestock of powerful,positivethoughtsand to keep on increasingthis stock.

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CHURNING For this you needspiritualknowledge.Spiritualknowledgeis the basicmaterialthat the intellectworkson to producepure, refinedthoughts.Thesethoughtsare the fuel for the upwardjourney.This is what meditationis all about.That's why RajaYoga meditationis not to makethe mind empty, bringingit to a pointof blankness.In fact. it is focussingthe mindon an spiritualquality,churningthat qualityor idea,refiningit until you cometo its And that essencegivesyou the powerto lift up. essence. 1'l

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LESSON3 *

Let'sstart with meditationon the basisof the 4 questions.

I turn my thoughts inward... I pay no attention to the things around me,,. I direct all my thoughtstowards the one whom I really am... I ask mvself: Who am l?... I am a soul.-. an etemal, immortal soul.., l, the soul, will always live.,. I am the living being... the spark of living energy in the centre of the forehead... I realize that this is the one whom I really am,,. tor so long I have thought that I was the body, my form, my role.,. but now I know that I am an eternalsoul and that my form is a point of light. l, the soul, shine like a star... like a bright star in the centre of the forehead... t visualize myself... I see myself as this shining star of living light.., a my attention is focused on this point ot light... I ask myself: What are my originalgualities?.,.what is my most originalnaturc?... I used to be completely peaceful... free lrom expectations and desires.,, free from tension and disappointments... completely myself... completely relaxed... in harmony with myself and my surroundings,..and when I look inside I try to locate thesefeelings.,.lallow these teelings to grow and to flow thtough me... my original sanskarc...my originalpersonatityof deep peace.,.I enjoy these feelings,..I am experiencingpeace... within myself... the quiet and the peaceof my own being. Thisinnerpeaceis my grcatest power, my greatest treasurc...it is like a shietdof spirituat light aroundme.-. this pure peace makes it easy to be myself.., independentand free... and whilst hearingand seeing the things aroundme, I am not influencedby any of them.., I am at one with myseff,my originalnature ot soul-consciousness.. . and I ask myself: Whercdo I come from?... I let my thoughts ttavel upward, like a concentratedbeam of light... I travel to my originalhome of peace... a world above the stars... a dimensionof sphituallight-.. a world in which I can be who I reattyam,., I connect to my own origin-., the essenceol peace and purity..- herc I am completelystable... nothing can influence me...I am peace.,.peace...peace Slowly lreturn to the consciousnessol my physical body... the material world... but I rcmainintrcspective.,.I remembermy originalnature of peace. Om Shanti. ln this third lessonwe will experiencethe relationshipwith the Supreme.Throughthe practiceof RajaYogameditationwe are ableto establisha mentallink with the Sourceof Life.Throughthis mentallink we are remindedof our own orjginalpowersand qualities Oualities that are alreadyin everyoneof us, but needto be reinforced. So, let'squicklyrevisethe stepsthat we've coveredso far: SteP 1: THEJOURNEYINWARD * CREATINGA SPIRITUALSELFIMAGE

x souLco sctousvEss - Positive thoughts - Cleat mind - Ffee from inner conflicts - lntrospection

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Step 2: THE JOURNEY UPWARD ' The spiritual dimension * Expe ence of youf own essence

In lesson2 we discussedthe journeyupwardin detailand haveunderstoodt h e i m p o r t a n c e of travelingto the spiritualdimension.lt is in the silenceof the soul world that the soul is ableto experience it's own essenceof peace,love and purity. Step 3: CONNECTION WTH THE SUPREME SOUL * Point - Point connection

Step 3 is the connectionwith the SupremeSoul, a connectionfrom point to point. This connectionis so importantand uniquebecausethe SupremeSoul is the only personality who is ever pureand eternallypositive.God is an eternalPointof light. Humansoulsare alsoeternalpointsof light. But the differenceis that humansoulshave a bodv of matter. whereasthe SupremeSoulneverhas one. He is alwaysa point of pureenergylivingin the eternalhome,the soul world. The connectionbetweenthe humansoul and the SupremeSoul is a connectionbetween two pureessenceful beings.This is why it is the most powerfulconnectiona humansoul can exDeflence. * Why do you think it is importantto connectwith the Supreme?(minute of silence) WHY A CONNECTION WTH THE SUPREME SOUL? * Power: Recharging the baftety of the soul * Expeience of being etenal and impeishable * Purification

First of all it's importantto understandthat the Supremeis the most pure sourceof spiritualenergy.Whenwe connectourselvesmentallywith someone,by thinkingof that person,we are influencedby their energy.Connectingwith the Suprememeansbeing influencedby pure, powerful,loving energy.lt is said that a personis colouredby the companyhe keeps.As there is no better companypossible.isn,t it a good choice to connectour mindand intellectwith the Suoreme?

RECHARGING THEBATTERY Everything we do in our everydaylife takes energy.Usuallywe lose more than we gain. Thisis why the soulgets tired,it is not rechargedregulartyor property.The soul is like the batteryof a car. lf you wait too longto rechargethe battery.you may not moveat all, So, to fechargeyour batterydaily,you needto learnto connectyourselfwith the Supreme, the constantlypowerfulOne. When this connectionis established,the energywill automatically start flowingfrom the SupremeSoulto the humansoul.

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E X P E R I E NOCFEB E I N GE T E R N AALN D I I V I P E R I S H A B L E Anotherimportantreasonto connectwith the Supreme,is to experience your own original natureof beinq eternal and imperishable. Eternityis the feeling of being beyond the consciousness of time and matter,that is, beingbeyondlimitations.Especially the limited thoughtof havingjust one life, of beinga mortalbeing,is a sourceof greatfear for many. 15

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TRUTH So, let's think deeplyaboutGod's qualities.He is the Sourceof Truth. But, what is truth? Truthis that state of beingwhich nevergivesor takessorrowin any way. Anotherword for truth is purity. The Purecannot be violent, nor give pain. or suffering.The pure is alwaysbenevolent. AII sufferingis the consequence of personalchoicesover time.Truth is knowledgeand knowledgecreatesa new consciousness, a new life. A life of wholeness Truth is the motherof freedomand happiness,becauseit bringshonesty and happiness. and trust to relationshios.

LOVE God is the Sourceof Love.What is love?Love is the power to give and forgive.Love is the powerthat makesus free. independant. Lovedoesn'tmeasure,possessor say ,mine.. Love has many faces: respect,tolerance,patience,mercy. Above all, love accepts, nurturesand heals.In a word: love is friendship.Love is not just a good feelingfor one person.Pure,divinelove,by its very nature,is universaland democratic.God,the Beingof Love,acceptsall, but all do not accept Him. God's love heals,becauseit acceptsme as I am. Purelove enablesme to believein myself,Faithin myselfbringscourage;the courage to face,changeand to be myself.God lovesus in this way.

PEAC E God is alsothe Sourceof Peace.What is peace?Peaceis freedom;free from the desires that createconflictin the self and with others.Selfishness, expressedthrougha varietyof desires,createsseparationand disharmony.God's being is harmony, becauseHe is complete;beyondneeds,and thereforenaturallybeyondany desire Peaceis contentment.To be at one with your own self, that is. to know your eternalself and to experienceits value and uniqueness.A peacefulbeing is stable, becauseno negativeinfluencehas the powerto disturbhim. A positiveself-awareness naturallybrings peaceand stabilityto the soul.

{lf thereis not enoughtime to go into the depth of all of thesequalities.iust pick one. As long as studentsunderstandhow this processof churningdeeply on a certainquality works), To thinkaboutthe qualitiesof the SupremeSoulin this way, makesyou becomeawareof His personality. This understanding and this experiencewill bring you closerto Him. And you the more experienceGod and His qualities,the more you will come to realizeyour own divinenature.This is what self-realisation is all about. We recognizeourselves,by recognizing the SupremeSoul. We now know that the SupremeSoul is the Sourceof all powersand qualities.But apart from that, He alsohas,like humansouls,a personality, though He is not a person, RAJA YOGA: Relationship of the human soul with the Suprcme Sout

RajaYoga is the yoga of relationships. Relationship is the most fulfillingexperienceof humanexistance, which is why everyonelooksfor the idealrelationship. Of course,often people it is not found,whetherit is with other or with God.The reason,usuallyis, that we don't know enoughabout the other or have wrong information.Both of these aspects determine or colourthe relationshio. 17

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In RajaYogaa yogi feersso croseto God that he/shedoesnot onry use the word Father but especiallyuses the word ,Baba,.Usually,Baba,is what a small child lovingly and trustinglycallshis/herfather, so, for a yogi reachingfor self-realisation,Goo is Baba. the gentleand knowledgefulOne who sustains,who guides,who teachesand who ljberates, Oncenameswere given to reflect a specialpower or qualitythat a personhad. God is g i v e nt h e n a m e ' S h i v a , ., S h i v a ,m e a n st h e p o i n t , t h e S e e d , t h e B e n e f a c t o r,.S h i v a describes God'sform (the eternalpoint),power {the eternalSeedwno has total knowledoe and the power to transformand renew life) and main virtue {the One who is eternaiy benevolent to alll.

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* Let's end this lessonwith a meditationin which we meet Babaas our eternarMother, Fatherand Friend.

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I step into silence..-gently concentratingthe mind... t focus my thoughts on the centre of my torehead...I focus on my true self... om shanti,.. om.., I am a soil,.. a point of light... a poin.tof living energy,.. I am peace... pure, deeppeace... l, the sout, focus my tholghts and like a beam of light my thoughtsjourney upward to my home... the worrd of rib;ration... the world of compretepurity and sirence... and in this worrd I meet the eternar Residentof my home.., my belovedparcnt. The suprcmeis my eternarparent..- the one who cares.,. who gives me true tife... and in this sweet silence... in this meetjng wjth my eternal parent, l-begin to experjencewhat pure love rcally is..- God, my beloved Mother, who, with great wisdom, patientty guides me... sustainsme,,. my eternalMother who acceptsme as lam, cleansme and maies me worthy..-my eternalMother shows me my worth and my valuein me creation. God, my gentle Father, who, with love, gives me life.-. a new life.... a new conscious_ ness...and directs me to my goal of self-realisation..,my goal of remembe ng myself as I truly amGod,my belovedFatherand Mother give me their friendship...Iove, true love, is expressed in triendship...and in this friendship l am not afraid to show my weakness, because I understandthat this weaknesswill be removed with patience, toleranceand sweetness.., God,my Friend,the One I can rely on.., the One whom I trust so deeply that I can open myself completely...and in this divine friendship I am abre to find myself... believe in myself and especially change myself... divine triendship does not judge or criticize, but tevealsto me how to change and the benefit there is in becoming better... to become a betterpersongives benefit, not only to myself, but also to thosearounctme... the love of the Mother, the Father, the Friend, purities me. And in this deeplink of the heaft to OneI feet the rays of purity.., of truth... cleansjngand frceingthe self from the past, from shame... from guih and fiom all fears... spirituallove gives me faith and hope... the faith to believe in myself... to betieve in myself and to acceptmyselfis the gift of any true retationship. NoW understanding and experiencing the reality of my Father's relationship with me... I do not feel alone.., I do not feel unwanted... I have a Companion...a Support.,. I have a Mother and a Friend... who are helping me to know and to express my eternal individuality within this play of tife... my Mother teachesme with deep wisdom... and my Father keeps guiding me with loving patience... ret me understand the purity of God,s reritionships ;ith me'.. and as r understandthis r can never feer fear or 1oneriness... r remain in this sirent absorbtionof love with One.-. I remain in the experienceof my eternal Father. Mother, Friend, Teacherand Guide, OmShanti.

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Cookingis a good example,You can literallytaste how a meal is prepared,whetherit is w i t h l o v eo r w i t h c o m p u l s i o on r i n h a s t e .l f t h e t h o u g h to r m o t i v eb e h i n dt h e a c t i o ni s good,the processof the actionwill also be good and consequently the resultcan only be good.So, it's importantto pay attentionto the qualityof your thoughtsand motives.

SIGNIFICANCE Many of our dailyactionsare routineand almostmechanical.But, with the right conscio u s n e syso u c a n a d d s o m e t h i n g t o e v e r y t h i n ygo u d o , T h r o u g ht h i s f e e l i n g so f b o r e d o m uselessness and frustrationbeginto disappear.Thusgivingmore significanceto the things you do, makinglife morefulfilling,You don't haveto do very importantor greatthingsfor this, Anythingfrom vacuum-cleaning,washingup, drivingthe car, to runningan office, directinga company,etc. is a matter of your state of mind.

Thereis a simplelaw that states: You eitherinfluencethe circumstances, or the circumstancesinfluenceyou. There is no in between, Eitheryou determinethe quality of a conversation, the atmosphere or a situation,or it is beingdeterminedfor you. In the latter caseyou may feel a victim of circumstances. lf you feel controlledby a certainsituation, you only react negatively,insteadof being able to contributeto it. you,ll feel there is y o uc a nd o . Y o u t h e nf e e la n g r yo r a p a t h e t i ca,f r a i do r u s e l e s s . nothing

ESSENCE B e i n ge s s e n c e f iusl s o m e t h i n w g h i c h i s i m p o r t a nitn b e h a v i o uarn d i n s p e e c h l. t h a st o d o with the art of leavingunnecessarry things out. For instance,check the way you speak. How manywords do you use that are not reallynecessary, which do not makeyour ooint any clearer?How many thoughts,phrasesand gesturesdo you needto make something clear?How long doesit take you to get to the point?

Anotheraspectof being essencefulis of seeingothers in their essentialform of being souls.A RajYogi learnsto distinguishbetweenthe form and the contents.The form might be of angeror rude behaviour,but insidethere is a soul,a beingwho might be frightened or distressed. lt's reallyan art to alwaysseethe essence.lt's the art of livino! Time-conscious Action-conscious

Therearetwo mainfactorsthat preventus from havingthat feelingof consciouslyadding something beautifulto everythingwe do in life. The first is the consciousness of time and the secondis gettingtoo caughtup in the actionitself.

TIME.CONSCIOUS Time-consciousness means 'pressure'.These type of thoughts create haste. tension, stressand impatience throughwhich the action losesquality.Often, white we are doing something, we are thinkingof what we haveto do next. Or maybewe are still thinkingof whatwe havejust done. So, we are not livingin the present.We are not ,here..Thuswe losethe powerand opportunitiesofferedby the present. 'Check how manytimes your thoughtstook you away from what you were doing,even whilst listeningto these very words. Adding quality to your actions in the form of accuracy, contentmentand patienceis only possiblewhen you live In rne now.

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TRANSFORMATION Transformation is somethingthat happensin the practicalreality of every day life. Our fieldof practiceis the outsideworld, This is the placewherewe are'tested'. lt is through these'tests'that we are ableto grow.

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Realtransformation meanstransformationof character.of sanskars.This transformation pureactions.Everypureactionadds qualityto your persotakesplacethroughdesireless, nalityand forms a new habit which will make it easierfor you to cut the old (negative) habits.After a while this new, positivehabit becomesas automaticas the old one was. It's a matterof attentionand practice. To concludethis lesson,hereare a few essentialingredients of karmayoga: INGREDIENTS OF KARMA YOGA: * Soul consciousness * Relationship with the Suprcme Soul * Prccticing specific stages lacto r- con s cio usness) * Traffrc-control * Eeginning and end of the day I Chaft S O U LC O N S C I O U S N E S S Soul consciousness is the foundation of meditationand meditation in action.

RELATIONSH WIIPT HT H ES U P R E MSEO U L you When experience a relationship with the SupremeSoulwhilst in action,it is as if you work with a 'double motor'. You'll find you have more power. more energy, more patience,moretolerance,morelove,etc.

There is so much we have to do and think of anyway, apart from the transformation proceswe hav€willinglyput ourselvesthrough.So, in order to get this extra power to constantly'checkand change',we needa mentallink with the SupremeSourceof power. Babais likea friendwho is alwaysaroundwhen you needHim. Onethought is enoughto establishthe mentallink. PRACTICING SPECIFIC STAGES/ ACTOR.CONSCIOUSNESS An actor-consciousness is the consciousness that you, the soul, are playinga rolethrough your body (the costumeyou wear). Everysoul plays his own part. Life is a game. We often tend to questionor even interferewith the role of others: "Why is he doing this?" "Why don't they do it this way?" But we cannotchangeothers,only ourselves.Whenyou leavebehindthe desireto changeothersand, instead,changeyourself,you becomelight. You beginto appreciate and understandthe role that every actor is playingin this world drama.

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Sit relaxed...let the mind be still... concentrated.,.and let me step into silence...and as I journey into silence,..I focus the energy of my mind, my thoughts, on the centre of my forehead..,I understand that I am a point of light... a point of immortal energy... I underctandlam a soul... a being of peace... pure, deeppeace. And in this state of soul consciousnessI concentratemy thoughts like a beam of light.,. my thoughtsjourney beyond this world of time and matter... in silence and in gentle concentration,with this beam of concentratedthought, I journey upward and I come to my home.,,the home of myself and originallythe home of all souls. Here,in this wo d of silent peace, I see, I teel, I understandthat this is the supremeplace of the SupremeSoul... the One who is eternally a Point of pure being... the One who is the Sourceof a life... the One who is the Soutce of all qualities and values... the One who is calledthe Truth... the Light... the Benevolent. And as lcome closerand closer,I begin to understandand experiencehow this Being, this Pureand gentle Being,remainsconstantlypositive... constantly the standardof true value for this universeand for my life... the Supremeis the Sourceof Truth. Truth, that state of being which knows no sorrow..- nor gives sorrow or pain of any kind to any other being... to have truth, to be truth, is to constantly experiencea state of freedom..,and as I begin to understandthis Source ot Truth... I begin to realize that I too must become true... free... totallv frce of all desire.., and in this state of freedom I understand that truth is purity. To be purc is to be rca|... the pure is never violent... never gives pain or suffering... the pure maintainsthe law of lite,,. the law of life is love,.. the SupremeBeing is the Source of Love... unconditionallove... in essencemy originalquality is also of love... but lhave forgotten what it is... and now, as I come close to the eternal Source of Love. I begin to experience what it really means. Love acceptsme as I am... the Supreme Being loves me, because He accepts me and through this acceptanceI am nurtured... I am healed... and with the experienceot this love I can trust... with trust there can be gentle change for the better... love forgives... love gives... love respects..-the SupremeBeing, the Source ol Love, allows me to be what I truly am.., His love does not interfere, but facilitates my growth.., and as I sit in this silence...in this concentntion on this Being of Love, I absorb these rays of love deep into myself.,, and as I absorb the love, I begin to believe in myself... I am given the courage to cnange. Like the rcys of light coming trom the physical sun falling on the seeds in the eatth, the rays of sunlight facilitatethe growth ol the seed into a beautiful tlower... the light does not make the tlower, but tacilitates it's blooming... in the same way the SupremeBeing allows me to grow... in the same way the SuprcmeSource of love sends me the rays of that love and facilitates the bloom of my individual and original self. And as I feel the rays of love and truth penetrate my being deeply and gently, I leel confident that my aim of realisationand growth will be achieved...love gives me peace... the peaceof beingat one with myselfThe SuprcmeBeingis the Source of Peace..-peace is total harmony... no division, no conflict within the self or with others... the SupremeSourceis constantlypeaceful by His very nature.., peace comes from the contentment of knowing my eternal seff... the SupremeBeingneverforgets that He is a soul, a Point of eternallight... etenaly He is true to Himselt..- I forget. But now, in this link of yoga... in this link of life, I rememberwho I am..- I remembermy originalqualitiesand where I come from... and especiallyI remember the One who is eternallythe Sourceof love, of truth, ol purity, of peace.,, the One who can gently guide me back to myselt,.,in this silence.,,in this link I begin to remember...I begin to awaken. Om Shanti.

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