Kabir

II SATYANAAM II
ME TIME
As long as the mind keeps talking, we cannot be calm. In meditation, we are instructed to quiet the mind. Why? Because when we quiet the mind, we allow the soul to ‘talk’. In fact, our communication with God can only happen when we stop talking to the world.
Just run through your past week’s schedule. Most of us, if not all of us, would come up with a nonstop running after this and that (work, groceries, housework, baby-sitting, watching TV, and so on), and not have had time for ourselves. Because there was not enough ‘time’. If we only take one item out from that busy schedule, we will find out that we could have had ‘me time’. One of the most popular time-eaters is social media. Just cut that in half and find out how much time you can have for yourself. Unfortunately, many people think that the time they spend on social media is ‘me time’. Because they believe that they must show their presence on that platform, they have to show what they have done, and they have to know what everyone else has done. Are we really rewarded for endless social media scrolling? Having ‘me time’ comes with so many rewards…. Sharper focus, better concentration, finer creativity, improved productivity, more relaxation. The more we build a habit of practicing solitude, the less we will complain about ailments. It has been proven that most diseases are triggered by ourselves through stress. Stress does not just invite itself to our mind and body, we invite it. The excuse that there is never enough time is just lame. Not surprisingly, everyone complains of lack of time. From the child to the student to the teacher to the CEO to the retired person. It is not time which is running out, it the mind which cannot stop. The mind cannot stop thinking and talking and chit-chatting and gossiping and grumbling…. If we are able to stop the mind from running as fast as it wants to, just five minutes of silence will be more effective than five hours of hustling. It is understandable that we all have to do our work, assume our responsibilities…. But at the same time, we do need to stop and be with our own Self. Otherwise, we will just be running an endless race with no purpose.
Over time, people have developed so many habits that they cannot change any more. Because the willpower to break those habits is not there. If we start working on one habit at a time, we will see how much time we can save for ourselves. That time can only make us better spiritual beings.
Mahant Jay Jaggessur, Kabir Association of Toronto
www.kabir.ca

Mahant Jay Saheb and Reckha Ji at the Kabir Centre in Toronto

II SATYANAAM II

UNCONDITIONAL SURRENDER

“Srotaa toh gharhi nahin, vaktaa bake saw baad
Srotaa vaktaa ek ghar, tab kathani kaa swaad”.

If the audience is not present, the speaker will waste his time giving his lecture. When the listener and the speaker are on the same wavelength, then the discourse will be effective.

Many times we find people giving lectures but the audience does not pay attention. Even at schools, many times students just ignore the lessons being delivered by the teacher. Fundamentally, efforts have to be made on both sides for the communication to be effective. The speaker has to be able to talk in a way for the audience to understand, and the audience also has to be attentive to the lecture. The gap between the speaker and the audience can be bridged by being in the present moment. Unconditional attention. In this saakhi, Satguru Kabir Saheb is highlighting the importance of being connected by way of consciousness. In many scriptures it is recommended that the disciple has to go to his Guru with an empty ‘bowl’ and let it be filled by the Guru. Inattention will not fill the ‘bowl’. To comprehend the essence of the Guru’s teachings, the disciple has to give his full attention. These days, a lot of importance is being given to “Mindfulness”. Satguru Kabir Saheb has always taught us to be mindful by recommending “surati nirati ek taar”, which means that we have to converge all our attention through our consciousness to one point. If we are physically present, but mentally absent or mentally switching focus, then we will not be successful in fulfilling our objective. By focussing our aim at one point both physically and mentally, we will reap the benefits of our endeavour.

Mahant Jay Jaggessur, Kabir Association of Toronto.
www.kabir.ca