Heaven descends into heart when you’re ready

There are many fanatics who are ready and say, “Oh, sacrifice your life and you will be sent to heaven. It is easy to give your life and go straight to heaven. It has been inculcated into us. I personally believe that no one goes to heaven. That does not mean heaven doesn’t exist. When your heart is ready, when it is pure, the heavens will descend; Gods will descend into your heart. You don’t have to go anywhere: no Himalayas, no river bathing. The main thing is that river bathing is symbolic, so purify your heart. Elevate yourself to the height of the Himalayas. The truthfulness in your heart changes you and your heart. That raises your heart.

Let’s say when we talk about Lord Krishna, who has seen Lord Krishna? Even when these people were with him – Duryodhana, Drona, Bhishma, Arjuna – the whole gang was there with him, nobody saw him as the Lord. Even when he showed his real Self to Arjuna, he said, “Please withdraw it. I cannot bear this.” So, is Darshan of any use?

Darshan is another experience. Momentary. What will you do with it? I saw God. So what? Have you become anything because of it? We talk about renouncing the body, renouncing wealth, renouncing life, but there is no meaning to it. A beggar says, “I renounced.” An impotent man says that he has renounced and become celibate. It is futile. True renunciation will come when you can kick bliss and say, “I’m done with bliss also,” when you don’t even worry about God. Generally, the Godly presence is to invoke bliss and peace in your heart, but that is still playing with the senses at some level. That also must go, and it will happen. In an infinite journey, it is not so difficult.

It suddenly speeds up. It takes a quantum leap only after this. When we have dropped everything – including the fancy ideas we have about God – no idea will justify a thought. It is infinity. What idea are you entertaining in your heart? Some form? Some quality? What else can you entertain?

So, our attitude during meditation, and just before meditation should be, “My Lord, I don’t know you.” This must be there all the time. The moment you say, ‘I know’ then you’re not learning anything. Why do children learn faster than adults? Adults think they know everything, or they think that they don’t need to know. Two things prevent us from learning – ‘I know’ and ‘I don’t need to know’. Children don’t have these inhibitions, so our prayers can be to become like children. Don’t even offer prayer. Become like a child and say, “My Lord, I would like to experience your presence, as I don’t know you. I have never experienced your presence. Help me.” Then something can happen.

But instead you say, “I am going to see Lord Krishna,” or if you are a Christian, “I would like to see Lord Jesus.” If you are a Ram bhakta, you say, “I would like to see Hanumanji first. It is more respectful to see Hanumanji first.” What will you do with all these? You are still playing with toys. And whatsoever you imagine of Hanuman or Lord Krishna or Lord Jesus will be as per your imagination only. And you will waste your meditation thinking and thinking and imagining things. You are playing with your imagination. But, if instead it emerges in you as a feeling as, “This I am,” then it is a different story. Otherwise this roopa, this form, this akar; these are all toys.

It is in this context that spirituality only helps us support, makes us recognise, gives us a bit of courage nowand then and that don’t give up please, you have much to achieve. Imagine, if everyday wecontinuously keep getting the same experience. Remember that Groundhog day movie? Same things that you see, you get fed up of it, Most of us would not be in Sahaj Marg (Heartfulness). Often Iwonder why these experiences, so many of them, varieties of them, I think perhaps, theykeep us lured with this thing.Keep on moving guys! Only if we learn this simple thing:love, peace, joy around us, then we embrace those qualities in our heart and learn to maintain that. Even if it is artificial in the beginning, it really does not matter. Pretendthat you have all that and see how we can change our surrounding immediately.

Forget the surrounding!Our life will itself change drastically overnight, once wemake this resolve that under all circumstances, I will remain peaceful and lovingunconditionally. Then, I would say spiritual life now has penetrated material wing and hastaken over.Like spiritual activities, going into a five-star hotel, we have bhandaras or seminars in five-star hotels. We have in smaller hotels, we have in schools. It’s not the otherway around. Most ashrams are not used for other lower activitiesto bring the vibratory level down.We can always go out without fear and try to create those higher vibratory patterns wherever we go.  We tend to create a all of ego and stiffen our neck in the process and declare it to be “my world.”

Having created our world,if we separate our existence from godly existence by stating this is my business, I will make it thrive no matter what, then there is a problem. But if the attitude is it shall thrive because HE is looking after me, then there is a blessed state in us. So, dependency in every activity to the higher force, to the higher being, no matter what; we must do most of the things anyhow. But it’s only a state of mind, no practice can help us with this but a slight change in our attitude will make all the difference.

—  Kamlesh D Patel is the fourth spiritual Guide in the Sahaj Marg system of Raja Yoga meditation. He is a role model for students of spirituality who seek that perfect blend of eastern heart and western mind. He travels extensively and is at home with people from all backgrounds and walks of life, giving special attention to the youth of today