Personal Feeling About God

Could you share your personal feeling about God?

God is the eternal peace. In that peace, everything shines out in its reality. No illusion. Everyone feels peace some time. When that peace deepens, that brings divine light in a person.

How is that different from maya, the apparent unreality?

Maya is also eternal. It is a creative energy of God. Maya creates an illusion and then it is gone. A post in a dark night appears as a ghost. The ghost was never there in reality, but the appearance is real. In eternal peace, when the mind is enlightened by divine knowledge, there is neither the post nor the ghost.

What does peace actually feel like? Is it like tranquillity or calmness, or nonattachment to our own emotions so that we can feel them but we don't own them?

Peace is a state of the mind free from all desires. Its also called supremely contented. Still these are words. Reality is your own experience.

You said that peace is a state of the mind free from all desires. Do you no longer have the desires or just are not attached to the desire?

We have desires; that is why we are restless. Desires are the expression of individualized ego. When that ego subsides, then everything is universal. Universal desire. Attachment brings reality in all desires. Desires without attachment is a tasteless food.

So in a state of peace, there is no desire?

No desire means no individualized ego who desires.

How are happiness and peace related? Is peace the only real happiness?

When happiness moves beyond the mind, that is peace.

What does happiness beyond the mind mean?

The mind is constituted by the three gunas: 1) consciousness, 2) passion, 3) inertia. Any kind of feeling that arises in the mind is a product of the three gunas. Supreme peace or happiness is not caused by the gunas. It's a state in which divine presence shines.

Sometimes I feel close to God during meditation and have a peaceful day. Sometimes I get angry and then I feel distant from God. What can be done?

When the mind is in sattva guna (pure state), then there is peace and the mind goes toward God. When rajas guna (passionate state) predominates, passion increases and anger develops. Gunas are always changing. The change of gunas changes the human thoughts. It has a productivity also. Without this change there can't be any productivity. This change makes a person to function and produces new things. But for ones self-development, sattvic nature (pure state) is needed.

If peace is our natural state, why is it so difficult for us to control the mind and stop our thoughts?

Because the ego is always looking out to get something for its comfort, enjoyment and for its defense.

I am impressed with the concept that peace begins with me, but what about keeping a balance with social action?

When peace gets rooted within, it spreads out in selfless action. In selfish action, the peace is disturbed.

So peace would lead us to selfless action?

It will happen naturally because in a peaceful state the ego stops hankering and the mind will function selflessly. To take action to help others with no self-interest brings a greater sense of peace. That creates a desire for more peace.

Is it okay to focus on that peace?

Yes. What is the cause of that peace? Reduction of self-interest removes restlessness of the mind. Restlessness is the nature of our ego.

When I am sitting here with Babaji, I feel very peaceful, but when its time to sit for meditation, then peace is gone. What causes that? Is the desire for peace so strong that it blocks my experiencing it?

The mind is distracted by thoughts from going in, so in that state, when the mind is not identified with the past memories and future hopes, instead the mind feels peace. But that peace is only momentary like a graveyard dispassion. In meditation, the mind is going in and seeing all kinds of restlessness caused by desires, and the mind is feeling distracted rather than peaceful. But in reality, in meditation you are finding out what is buried there and you can dig them out.

You have said that the highest sense of duty is to get peace. Sri Krishna was advising Arjuna to fight and kill his relatives. That doesn't sound like a way to gain peace.

1) Arjuna was a prince. 2) Symbolically the jiva. As a prince it was his duty to remove bad elements who were disturbing peace in the kingdom. So Krishna was right to tell him to fight. As a jiva, we have to fight with our negative thoughts in order to attain peace.

I feel a desire for peace but sometimes I forget. When I come into Babajis presence, then I remember but it develops more attachment. Is that a positive thing?

A guru, a deity, a teaching can be the reminder of our aim. But the main thing is to take our own responsibility to achieve peace. We can still use external instruments to help us to attain peace.

Looking at history it seems that humans have been out of balance many, many times. Do you see us going into a darker or a lighter time right now?

Can you tell if any country is in total peace? So the whole world is in turmoil. It's making those samskaras. If somehow people switch their minds and make peace with everyone, only then the lighter period can start. If you are alone sitting somewhere, a man runs towards you. The first thought will be he may attack me; he is a bad man. That is the way we have fear of each other.

When I am outside in nature, I feel more in tune with myself and more at peace and connected to God. Is that state conducive to achieving peace?

In nature all things are working in their pure state. There is no egoism involved. So anyone who is surrounded by natural beauty, if that person's mind is not restless, will attain peace.

When you realize God, how do you know that it's not a delusion or a self-creation of the mind?

God realization means: all worldly desires subside, the mind dwells in eternal peace, the mind doesn't get confused by illusory reality.

How can we tell if we are making real progress on our spiritual path?

Progress is seen: the mind gets less attached to the world, desire to obtain and hoard things gets weak, the mind gets more peaceful.

You have said that when you meditate three things can happen: serenity, purity, clarity. What is the expression of purity?

Peace is the expression of all three.