Keep On, with Love and Longing

The Masters are constantly encouraging, and yes, even cajoling us to sit for meditation. Some of us may sit for the full two and a half hours, but the question is, how do we sit? With what attitude do we carry out the most important task of our life? In the following quotation, Maharaj Charan Singh shares with us how best to approach our meditation:

Meditation is nothing but asking the Lord for his grace to eliminate that veil of darkness from our way.
_{Thus Saith the Master}

Regarding the kind of pleading that Master is referring to, here is a stunning anecdote from the book Shaped by Saints. The author talks about an encounter he had in Badrinath, the supreme pilgrimage spot for Hindus. The main shrine, which is fifty feet tall, stands on the very bank of the majestic Alaknanda River. While there, he visited a well-known yogi and asked the yogi to bless him. By way of reply, the yogi gave him this poignant message:

You see the Alaknanda below us? It flows from Nil Kanta on its way to the ocean – such a long way away! What tremendous love she must have for the ocean! It takes so long to reach it, but no one can stop her owing to the force of her love. Your love for God should be like that: patient, constant, undeterred. Like a mighty river, the force of divine devotion will wash away any obstructions on your way. Keep on, with love, until you reach God’s ocean.
_{Devi Mukherjee, Shaped by Saints}

What a potent and beautiful metaphor the yogi used to illustrate the ideal level of intensity our love and longing needs to reach in order to attain our goal. We all want a love for our Master that is patient, constant, undeterred. We all want a longing that compels us to keep on, with love, until we reach God’s ocean. Fortunately the Masters have given us the means with which to develop that force of love and longing. By doing what the Masters have asked of us – to live the Sant Mat way of life and to do our meditation – we can build and create that strong current of devotion.

As the yogi explained, the mighty river of love will not only rush us forward, but will wash away any obstruction in our way. What could stop us if our love and longing had this kind of strength? Imagine developing this surging power of divine devotion, tapping into this swelling centre of love when we sit to meditate or when we go about fulfilling our worldly obligations. Imagine being like the river in the metaphor, whose force of love could not keep her from reaching the ocean. How we would keep on, with love. What then could prevent us from reaching our destination?

It is the business and duty of every disciple to make his mind motionless and reach the eye centre. The duty of the Master is to help and guide on the path. To control the mind and senses and open the tenth [inner] door depends on the disciple’s efforts.… The primary factor in this success is the effort of the disciple.
_{Maharaj Sawan Singh Spiritual Gems}