Memory, samskaras, genetics and habits

You see most of the Indians were politically prejudiced. So he just came and made the statement that Mahatma Gandhi actually ruined this country. It was a very big statement, I said how you know you were not even born then, and he said my father told that and he was present when Mahatma Gandhi was spoiling this country. I asked him what your father was doing, why didn’t he stop Mahatma Gandhi? Why he took a back seat and saw that Mahatma Gandhi was ruining this country? If he was an able person he should have stopped him. No answer for this. But because his father said something he took it to his heart and continued to repeat all his life. So such habits are very difficult to break. Only with a mind that has been tampered by yoga practice you can decide for it what is the family impact or your genetic conditioning, then you can take your mind beyond that and you can exercise free will. That’s why in the beginning, when somebody appeared to be follow by the yogic path, a person he will leave home and go into the jungle and live there for 12 years continuously. This time was necessary to break all habits which he acquired while living with his family and society. He will exercise free will and become a great human. And now you don’t need to go into the jungle you have just need to keep analyzing yourself. Keep analyzing yourself and keep finding yourself. After that the realization you are a fool, you will ask silly questions over and over again.

"Guruji, I wonder what should we do about our mann (mind or heart). It just keeps controlling our lives forever."

G: "Mind is itself a form of the divine (bhagvatswaroop). Its task is to control our lives. And the reason behind it is that its destination, the plan of its destiny, is already fixed. That’s why the mind should be observed along with our habits. There are two kinds of minds - the outer mind and the inner mind. One should always listen to the voice inside. This will always guide you according to your true capabilities and the plan of your destiny, and will bloom the flowers of dreams and desires in you to propel you towards your destiny.

"Don’t ever believe anybody who claims that he has controlled his mind and let go of his desires. And I can say so because it's mentioned in Gita itself that mind is Time only! How can anybody control or kill Time? If we proceed according to the plan Time has for us, it will guide us to our destiny and mount us to the peak of success. It's not possible to kill your mind. If you kill your mind, your existence will cease. And then again, as our nature is built in such a way that the existence of even the tiniest molecule remains forever. To cease existence of mind is not possible at all. No annihilation!"

"In that case, if a person’s heart is stuck in something, say mountaineering, can they never become a yogi?"

Guruji: "Mountaineering is not something a person will do all his life. It’s just a temporary frame of mind, an ambition for when you are young and healthy, like Edmund Hillary climbed Mount Everest once and then he was done with it. He didn’t climb it everyday. Ultimately it was a training and experience for his mind. He wished to climb mountains and so he conquered the highest mountain in the world. But what next? Now he is sitting idle. But, he's also accompanied by a huge amount of satisfaction. And his achievement needed him to be extraordinarily skilled, with a fine tuning between body and mind, a strong body and quick reflexes. It is because of these attributes he was able to become a mountaineer. That he was a mountaineer is just a small reflection of his personality. But try to imagine the depth his entire personality must have achieved after going through these experiences. What he must have felt when he set foot on the peak of Mount Everest is something that only belongs to him. We hear his tales but we can't feel what he felt at that moment. For most of the people, it was just an act of climbing up and down. But I totally believe that Edmund Hillary before he climbed up and Edmund Hillary when he climbed down were two completely different personalities.

"The root cause of all problems is looking at life in various different pieces. Why, are mountains not a part of our existence? So why not climb them?"

"Guruji, how can a person distinguish between the voice inside and superficial desires?"

Guruji: "Think of it this way: A kid loves to play with his toys. He can play with his toys for hours but that is his superficial desire. When his inner desire takes over, he forgets about the toys and remembers his mother. And with increasing maturity, i.e., with the development of his mind, his reflections, likes, dislikes, and reactions will go on evolving or changing. A kid keeps running to his mother for milk, and after growing up, just the feeling of sitting near her keeps him warm and happy. The inner desire means the dormant feelings that have grown so much that they start showing up on the surface very clearly.

"Always think of and about life in totality. Whether you do scuba diving or mountaineering or anything else, ultimately it’ll just add something to your mind and persona."

"You mean any activity?"

Guruji: "These activities are also experiences. And once you’ll do them, the excitement will die and you won't feel like having the same experience again because you’ll have its flavor inside you."

PERCEPTION OF THE MOMENT AND OVERCOMING OWN LIMITS

Guruji: Someone asked me about the experiencing of the moment of the present: I said – yes, it is possible; but everybody will perceive the moment of present in a different way – because their background is different, the mental level is different, and their karmic accumulation is different. So their experience and their memory of the experience is very different. Only on that: they will perceive that moment of present. Even though: it will be the same moment – but everybody will perceive it in a different way.

Their all memories are different, remember that. Physical condition is different, genetics are different, initial circumstances are different, karmic record is different: so their experience, the memory of the experience will be different. And only by the help of our memory we’re able to judge: something it is good or bad. Even the moment of present is same – we will perceive it in a different way.

but usually we take our suits to every person…

Guruji: of course: it’s all human. To add is human; but to blame it on someone is even more human. This is what we do.

the darshans are also like it?

Guruji: you see, that is the moment of present for me; but all of you will perceive this moment of present in a different way. You’re talking with me: this is my moment of present and I look at it from a different point of view; and you’re listening to me or seeing me – but your experience of the moment of the present will be different. This is how it happens.

how to brake the wall of our perception, of our physical limits?

Guruji: I will say it again: we are born in a particular families with a special genetics, DNA, initial circumstances, blood relatives; we developed our lives by exposure to the family and initial things: then we form a habit. Then we spend our life, repeating that habit, we never can break this vicious circle. So 50% of your life is fixed .

Until unless you begin to stretch your limit and realize, what are your habits and begin to observe, why this habit forms and why you’re reacting in such a way – because of your background. If you’re able to cross that limit, break out of this circle – then 50% you have absolute free mind to work. You can create whatever you want . But to break the habit or to understand it – that is the beginning.

if you can understand your limit – you can overcome it?

Guruji: without understanding your limit – what you will overcome? At least by understanding your limit there is a chance that you may also try to overcome it: if you have enough ambition. If you have it in you. If you’re man enough or woman enough to do it.

so understanding is not a guarantee to overcome it?

Guruji: it is a major step forward. Without understanding – what you will try?

if you understand, that it’s your habit…?

Guruji: you need to see, why this habit started, with what exposure; or you were just in impression of some – your father, your uncle, whom you were so impressed – many small psychological things are there.

QUESTIONS FROM THE DISCIPLES

What is the memory to the jiva, to the atma? Why do some seemingly meaningless and random memories persist for a long period of time? Why do they keep returning?

Guruji: Every memory represents a certain experience, so they will always remain in your record bank. The main thing is to keep them there, but do not always remember them. The more you try to shoo them away, the stronger they will become – and they will continue to come back. They are part of your being: accept it.

When we experience the bliss of yogic practice and it reaches our dissatisfied mind – how do we rectify the experience with equanimity? Do we say: “I’m not interested in this bliss, in this satisfaction”? Do I have to ignore it?

Guruji: You don ’ t have to ignore it – simply accept it. Instead of creating a show out of it – accept it. If you keep practicing – bliss will come. So accept it. Satisfaction is a real bliss.

When Krishna speaks about liberating ourselves from the folly of delight – how do we make sense of delight we feel for our Guru, for his teachings, for his blessings, his path and the fruits of his path?

Guruji: Krishna said a much deeper thing: if you are feeling delightful and experiencing delight – you may neglect some of your duties or your practice or devotion to the Guru – it may be affected. So feel delighted, but keep doing what you were doing: the delight came because of that Sadhana. You may lose your concentration because of delight. I have seen many people who concentrate more on pleasure of the sensations of the practice and then become frustrated – because the delight is coming to them first, and then it is no more. Finally nothing is left for them to enjoy. To remain delightful one needs to keep practicing, it is the practice which is providing you with this delight.

Q: Sometimes you reveal your own difficult emotions on the path; is it only for our encouragement?

Or people like you – which are not so many – do they also continue to suffer from certain negative emotions? Is it a part of being great?

Guruji: Emotions will always remain: positive and negative will always remain. But when your mind is developed – you are able to tolerate these things. We call it spiritual maturity, it comes with time.

What is the true purpose and nature of a sin? Is it’s origin deeper than shame?

Guruji: If you have been caught committing a sin – then you will feel shame. If nobody catches you – you can go on, smiling knowingly, that nobody knows about it.

But on a deeper level: the sinful deeds – what is the origin of them?

Guruji: Mostly it ’ s social or religious taboos. But I will say that old sinners are much wiser than innocent people. Reformed old sinner.

START FROM THE BASIS

We talked about free will; as a grassroots level man my observation is: nothing comes for free, even your will. You have to pay very heavy price for developing will power. Be ready for that!

What is the use of becoming conscious of the Universe if you’re not conscious even of your own physical body? God is living in the heart, spirit is everywhere, and if you’re not aware of it – then it is useless to be aware of the Universe and having nice thoughts. Start from grassroots level, always!

spirit also can be seen or felt when You’re inside the body?

Guruji: the feeling is also good as seeing. When we say the word “see” we simply mean reflection of light from a certain object. But there are other ways of seeing also: you can feel it, you can sense it, you can become aware of it – they are all as good as seeing.

but it has the physical shape?

Guruji: yes, you see it in yoni mudra every day.

When you want to know about yourself and discover who you are; when you go in the process – towards creation; when you evolve more, you will realize that this is of conditioning of the body from different sources. When you will get over these conditionings- then some glamour of what you really are will start. Which may be not so glamorous.

what to do with our reactions on the reactions?

Guruji: again, it’s just a conditioning of certain thoughts. Who we are – you will discover. Give it time!

Till then it’s just a romantic idea. If we say: you’re the most beautiful creation of god – our ego goes very high. And if we say: you’re just offspring of a bastard, we will feel offended, our ego will be hurt and we will be ready to kill that man. It is just conditioning from the society!

Be honest with yourself, keep on practicing, keep developing your consciousness and your mind; maybe one day you will realize who you are. Then the different chapter will begin in your life.

Always put your best foot forward, no compromise with the standard.

ABOUT TRANSFORMATION OF THE AMATEUR INTO A MASTER

Our subconsciousness save many informations including negative information like our fears.

Guruji: See, information is information. Good or bad.

But there is our fears. Memory of all family generations. Many informations, including damage negative information. I'm interested during yoga process. When subconsciousness is wake up, what happens with those fears?

Guruji: In the process of practicing yoga,

all your memory will come to you. And you will remember every single insult you have received in your life since your childhood.

But you will become strong enough to process it and handle it. Then good things will follow. But you cannot cut off a portion of yourself that this is negative - «I will not remember it.» It should remain in your memory. Your memory will give you the power of discrimination. What is good,

what is bad for you and for others also. So hold on to the memory. But you should be mature enough to handle that. I have never seen anyone who has never received insults. Mockery. So many things. So unless you analyze every single insult, bad, negative thing and the emotion connected with that which came as a reaction, you will never go beyond that. So it is better to let them surface, process them, handle them and move on. We are not teaching you to run away from things. Face it. And especially after khecharee, there is a big emotional drama. Because many emotions will come to surface. May even from the past life, they will come to surface. So we must handle them.

Is it possible for humans during practice became free from genetic information?

Guruji: That will take a very long time.

That may will come till the end of one life?

Guruji: I think one lifetime is enough. If you are actually able to practice to that, maybe it is possible.

Like programming new, something new.

Guruji: Arranging all programs, keep all your options open. It's interesting job. Then the real entertainment will begin.

when You are inside the brain, You can see all electrical impulses: and what about thoughts?

Guruji: thoughts are just the waves in the ocean of consciousness.

could You judge by the type of electrical activity, which type of thoughts are coming?

Guruji: yes, it can be seen. Thought is just an electromagnetic charge. That tells us: the electricity is also conscious; it is an expression of the consciousness.

First you experience all your past: after you will remember everything – then only you can overcome it. That means you left all your samskaras also behind. Samskara is past – past experiences are samskaras. You took out all the emotional components from the experiences and pack them as a source of energy inside the body – and only the information of the past remains.

could we say that the thoughts which we have now – that they are like the result of some outer influence?

Guruji: mostly it is; we’re just giving reaction, we’re not aware about our own big thoughts. Everything is just a reaction to the family, to the society, to situation.

so we can say that in the beginning thoughts are not generated by us?

Guruji: we need to discover it inside. It is so much under the layers of our reactions and conditioning; it is very great thing to find it.

so it’s not the one person, who applies the thoughts to our mind?

Guruji: all thoughts are implanted from outside influence.

but they are from different sources?

Guruji: that’s why you need to go deep inside you and discover.

I’ve written in “Putnik” that you go deep, dive in the ocean of consciousness and find a pulse of your own emotion.

from the position of inside the body experience: could You said that it’s a different activity when the thought is pure?

Guruji: when you’re becoming aware of the Void and slowly-slowly you discover: the Void is conscious; then you also discover: Void is the ocean of consciousness and you’re just one wave of it. All reactions, all conditioning – they are left far behind and you’re somewhere else. When you’re entering the sea there are so many waves, very difficult to enter; but when you have gone deeper – no waves.

when we will understand we’re one wave: our individuality will remain? We will not merge with the ocean?

Guruji: still the existence of wave will remain as individual. You will be in the both worlds at the same time.

but genetics and all DNA memories is different?

Guruji: yes, it’s like reality show: someone watch, who will survive, get over limitations, expand his or her mind – maybe it’s the only entertainment for them.

but if we compare brahmins and others?

Guruji: their thinking is different from the beginning, attitude is different, body smell is different.

is it possible to achieve such state of mind?

Guruji: when you’re subtracting your past – you’re no more Brahmin or Kshatriya, Vaishya, shudra or mlechcha. Only yogis is capable of doing that.

59. DESCRIPTION IS REMEMBRANCE

Guruji: exactly! Whatever we are trying to describe – we are remembering, because we have seen it before, we have experienced it before; only then you can describe. And it will register in people’s mind; because body represents the past – the whole past till this moment it is representing. That’s why we keep discussing about the past.

so technically spirit – living only one life – accumulates all the memories about his incarnations before?

Guruji: that is much deeper thing: suppose somebody is taking incarnation – so first he will study this book and will accumulate billions and billions of gigabytes of information. Then it may remember all the previous births also – because all the information the book is carrying.

Remembering the past life is not only that “I was born in that family and I did this and that” – complete genome, genetic memory and DNA memory with this body is carrying, the all remembrance.

the spirit is immortal? Or it exist the life span for the spirit also?

Guruji: they are such a huge time frame that – we have very limited time frame, so for us they are as good as immortal. We cannot see their beginning, we cannot see their end – so it is as good as immortality.

maybe spirit acts like mediator between the human and the Time – to pass that information, all the remembrance and the knowledge?

Guruji: yes, we can say it, because in 15th chapter of Gita Time Itself is saying: my own jiva is attracting all the senses. Whatever we call jiva is a drop of Time inside us. Body is called sentence of Time because it experiences the certain period of time.

Everything comes down to it: even your mind will be forced to follow your genetics and DNA impressions and whatever you exposed to when you was young child. After you will overcome those limitations which amounts up to 50% of it – genetics, DNA, family circumstances, blood relations – this is 50%; when you have overcome these limitations – then 50% you are free to act and imagine also. Till then somehow your imagination will continue to be affected by these past impressions of genetics and DNA as well. It’s a complicated thing.

what is most difficult – DNA?

Guruji: DNA and that you start by accepting that you’re the greatest person in the world and every other person was just created to serve you - this is the most idiotic DNA.

YOU HAVE NO FREE CHOICE

very often when we think that we’re in our heart – it’s just a reaction?

Guruji: most of the time our behavior is a reaction.

how to separate them?

Guruji: calm down first; then you will be able to see whether it’s your own action or it is just a reaction to something. I will say – we don’t have any choice.

we just following the script of life or what?

Guruji: whatever society exposing us to. What we have choice? Different advertisements telling us what to use – toothpaste or deodorant or something – and we just choose out of them. You have no free choice there!

but when we develop our mind…?

Guruji: you will be able to use whatever society provides you in a very good way; and also you may be able to give something very positive back to society also. If it is just a reaction to certain situation in the society – it is not necessary you will be giving something good back to the society. Think big.

We all form some habits. Actually, we all form some habits before 25 years of age. And we keep repeating them all our lives.

You can call them trauma or a good thing or whatever. It’s a habit which is formed with your exposure to the family, to the society, and initial circumstances.