Becoming mindful of everything we do
Guru: You will find that when you contemplate, your dreams will also improve because your contemplation will enable you to perfect all that you do. It will also calm the mind and that will be very beneficial to you. That is what contemplation will do for you and the types of dreams that you will have won’t be disturbing in any way, you won’t need to be bothered about them.
I can talk through my own experiences. When I dreamt it was usually my mother who came to have a long chat with me. She gave me so many instructions about what I should and shouldn’t do. After a little while, I thought, “This is no good because I can’t listen to you. You have long since gone. This is my business now, not yours.” I am sorry I feel like that but I also have great sympathy for what she says. What you are going to do with your dreams? If they are nice and you would like them to be repeated, then you hope they will come back. I have never spent time worrying about dreams. Never.
Devotee: What is contemplation?
Guru: Contemplation is to be mindful of the causes and effects that you set in motion from the moment you wake up till the moment you go to sleep.
Consider what vibrations you set in motion
What vibrations do you set in motion? Are they positive or negative? What benefit are you to the people you encounter in life? Contemplate your actions and the reactions that you set in motion and see whether you are creating harmony or a disturbance for yourself.
Contemplate the food that you eat, the vibrations that you assimilate into your system, and the environment you live in; contemplate your lifestyle and the work you do, and see how positive or negative it is. That is what a person should be doing on a minute-by-minute basis. That is high mindfulness, which will enable the power of contemplation to better develop.
People often run away from their responsibilities. They push them away. Contemplation brings it forward, so you look at the things you have to do or that you have not done properly. Then you can make a positive assertion within yourself to change the whole structure and make it good. This will enable you to have a clear mind when you are meditating.
Be mindful of how you interact with others
It’s important to contemplate your day through mindfulness, at least ten minutes a day whether you meditate or not; you must have a review of what you have been doing in the day.
In other words, if you make a mistake at any time you have the power to change it. This feeling within will enable you to overcome the problem of feeling unhappy with a situation, or a relationship. You may have been rude to someone, so contemplate the causes and effects you set in motion, and on your relationship with that person.
Then you will be able to represent the next time you meet that person in a different light, a different manner. You will be able to take control of any situation and you will be the master of your ship. Contemplation enables you to transcend every level of life and be able to contemplate and meditate better. That is what contemplation is.
Devotee: But it is very difficult to concentrate. I know when I sit, it is such a lot of work to find out what is going on. I have to be very well centred to contemplate well and then let go of it.
Guru: I have every confidence that you can take control of every situation in your life and say to yourself, “I am going to change. My approach and mannerisms are going to change.” It is invaluable to contemplate your approach to people, your conduct with people, your presentation, what you say, and how you say it.
You will be surprised how powerful that weapon is for the person who does this contemplation properly for ten minutes a day. If you don’t want to do that form of contemplation, I advise you to become mindful of every single thing you do and of the vibrations that you are setting in motion on a minute-by-minute basis in your life.
This is how I have to work in all aspects of my life. When I meet people, I want to look back at the end of the day and be able to understand the vibrations that these people set in motion; what my interaction with those people was, and how I presented everything.
Supposing I see a whole group of devotees coming into the Ashram, two or three hundred people. I look at them and then if I reflect immediately, I can look at all those people, all of them, and then have time to see whether I missed something. Whether or not I missed dealing with somebody’s problems, how well I dealt with them, my presentation and everything – it’s invaluable. I make sure that my job is to perfect the art of work, the art of presentation, and the art of living with people so that I can help them to have more confidence and strength for their spiritual evolution.
If I don’t contemplate, there is a possibility with all the pressures, and I appreciate what you said to me, there may be a possibility [that I missed something]. Now, I saw nearly over a hundred people yesterday in the evening and when I got into bed before I closed my eyes I brought [the image of] all these people in front of me. I wanted to know, did I miss somebody? Was there somebody there who I ignored? Was my presentation wrong? All of these things are invaluable to getting the best from me and from the people I serve. Not only for me but for you as well in your work. It will improve the quality of your work, it will help you to improve your relationships with other people, and this is invaluable.
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