GRACE OF THE LORD
eOm Sai Ram
I have been reading Dhyana Vahini as I mentioned earlier. There is a passage in which Swami says:
"The best time for Dhyanam is the quiet hours before dawn, between 3 and 5 a.m. One can awake, say 4 a.m. First of all, sleep has to be subdued. This is very necessary. In order to keep the hours unchanged, on may set the alarm clock for a.m. and rise. Even then, if sleep continues to bother, its effect can be overcome by means of a bath in cold water. Not that it is essential to bathe, it is needed only when sleep gives much trouble.
if in this manner the Dhyanam path is rigorously followed, it is possible for one to win the Grace of the Lord very quickly." ~ Baba
Now I am not an early riser, and tend to go to bed late. This has been my bane since working night hours with the Post office for many years. I kept revolving in my mind what Swami said: "Win the Grace of the Lord... Win the Grace of the Lord." Swami's proximity is something we all crave and to have that nearness is heaven itself!
So I told myself I would get up at 5a.m. and meditate two times per week for now. I arose 5 a.m. this morning did some pranayama and chanted His glorious Name, then went into meditation. I am not sure if I fell asleep during meditation, I don't recall anything. Interestingly, this morning as I was looking at my emails, I accidentally clicked randomly and the Thought for the day suddenly popped up. I said to myself well I obviously need to read this:
"The Master comes to save not one good person from illusion, but the whole of mankind. He assumes a Form that people can love, appreciate and revere. He gives joy and courage by speaking your language. The only blemish that comes in between your mind and the Master is illusion. Illusion is like a fierce dog that will not allow anyone to approach the Master. You can manage to bypass it by calling out to the Master loudly so that He Himself comes down and accompanies you to His home. That is to say, you must win the Lord’s Grace to attain His proximity (Saameepyam). Illusion is the Lord’s pet, so it will not harm you if the Lord orders it to desist from harming you. So just as you give the goldsmith a broken or a dented ornament and receive a fine jewel back, entrust your mind to the Lord. It certainly needs repair, if not complete reconstruction." (Divine Discourse Jan 1, 1964)
- Baba
Later David and I did sadhana and a meditation. I pulled this quote from the blue Baba bag:
"The mere reading of a book or journal will not bring discrimination. That which is seen, hear, or read about, must be put into actual practice. Without this, reading is a mere waste of time." ~ Baba
Om Sai Ram!
I have been reading Dhyana Vahini as I mentioned earlier. There is a passage in which Swami says:
"The best time for Dhyanam is the quiet hours before dawn, between 3 and 5 a.m. One can awake, say 4 a.m. First of all, sleep has to be subdued. This is very necessary. In order to keep the hours unchanged, on may set the alarm clock for a.m. and rise. Even then, if sleep continues to bother, its effect can be overcome by means of a bath in cold water. Not that it is essential to bathe, it is needed only when sleep gives much trouble.
if in this manner the Dhyanam path is rigorously followed, it is possible for one to win the Grace of the Lord very quickly." ~ Baba
Now I am not an early riser, and tend to go to bed late. This has been my bane since working night hours with the Post office for many years. I kept revolving in my mind what Swami said: "Win the Grace of the Lord... Win the Grace of the Lord." Swami's proximity is something we all crave and to have that nearness is heaven itself!
So I told myself I would get up at 5a.m. and meditate two times per week for now. I arose 5 a.m. this morning did some pranayama and chanted His glorious Name, then went into meditation. I am not sure if I fell asleep during meditation, I don't recall anything. Interestingly, this morning as I was looking at my emails, I accidentally clicked randomly and the Thought for the day suddenly popped up. I said to myself well I obviously need to read this:
"The Master comes to save not one good person from illusion, but the whole of mankind. He assumes a Form that people can love, appreciate and revere. He gives joy and courage by speaking your language. The only blemish that comes in between your mind and the Master is illusion. Illusion is like a fierce dog that will not allow anyone to approach the Master. You can manage to bypass it by calling out to the Master loudly so that He Himself comes down and accompanies you to His home. That is to say, you must win the Lord’s Grace to attain His proximity (Saameepyam). Illusion is the Lord’s pet, so it will not harm you if the Lord orders it to desist from harming you. So just as you give the goldsmith a broken or a dented ornament and receive a fine jewel back, entrust your mind to the Lord. It certainly needs repair, if not complete reconstruction." (Divine Discourse Jan 1, 1964)
- Baba
Later David and I did sadhana and a meditation. I pulled this quote from the blue Baba bag:
"The mere reading of a book or journal will not bring discrimination. That which is seen, hear, or read about, must be put into actual practice. Without this, reading is a mere waste of time." ~ Baba
Om Sai Ram!
