12 th Sadhana Camp

At The Ramada Inn , New Jersey with

Dada J.P. Vaswani

Day 1, Sept 3rd , 2004

The Camp of almost 300 strong participants, started on a subdued note. Each one was over-awed and over whelmed by and disbelieving of the fact that they were finally and in reality in the presence of Dada J.P Vaswani. Being gripped by the wonder of the situation everyone was shaken out of it by the charge given by Dada's Upadesh.

The Camp was inaugurated by the kindling of the Akhand Jyot by Dada, followed by Havan and kirtan. Dada shook one and all with his message from the stupor of satisfaction in the achievement and collection of material things. He reiterated the message from Sadhu Vaswani's recorded talk that we are prisoners of desire, but we know not our bondage.

We were urged to use this Camp as one more God-given opportunity to fulfil our true purpose on this earth – to come nearer to the lotus feet of the Lord. We 6 billions human have tremendous Grace of God and should be grateful to Him for this human birth for only through this can we attain Param Gati or the Supreme State .

When Lord Krishna decided to leave the earth plane, even his constant companion could not join him till he had achieved his purpose – that of attaining the Supreme State , the state of perfection.

The only reason we are unable to do so is because we are bound by Maya , which in return for bits of sensual pleasure, makes us sell ourselves at the door of this world – pleasure which has its concomitant in pain.

This powerful Maya , as Sadhu Vaswani says, can only be conquered by God's Grace, only then can the bondage by rent assunder.

Dada said, there are 2 types of human beings –

•  The first type is Baddha – those who are caught in the bondage of desire.

•  The second type is Buddha - a fully awakened and enlightened one.

Let us aspire to be the second type, then light will dispel our darkness.

The theme of this Camp, Dada suggested, should be one where we are beggars at Hid door, begging for alms – freedom from the clasp of Maya .

The mark of a truly free man is to be able to do what he ought to do, not what he wants to do. God is not deaf, but by our constantly asking him, our concentration increases which in turn light a conflagration in us through which one karmas are burnt. If me can but remember to go on asking Him, our purpose of coming to this Camp will be served.

Day 2, Sept 4, 2004

The practice of silence and yoga followed by Havan, Kirtan and Sadhu Vaswani's Upadesh culminated in the guided meditation by Dada. Bhajans and kirtan paved the way for Dada's informal talk in Sindhi, where Dada continued with the same thread of thought – our immitable foe – maya .

The reason for this human birth is that it is possible to hear the subtle sound of Krishna's flute within us. This sound is audible only in the midst of silence.

We should sink deeper within ourselves till the blessed day when we can see and hear the Lord. God is omnipresent, yet 99.9% of us are unable to see Him. As Tennyson says – God is closer to us than breathing, nearer than hands and feet. But the slender yet dense curtain of maya , hides the Divine.

Maya comes from the thought “I am” which turns leads to pride – of knowledge, wealth, status, etc. there is even pride of spiritual clutches of maya , there is separation from the Beloved. Hence the biggest error is to think of anything or anyone as “mine”. We come into this world and leave it empty handed.

Dada was very encouraging to all those present saying that it is easier to attain God in family life or Grihast Jeevan. We only need to keep two things in mind-

1. Do not think of anything or anyone as mine. Nothing belongs to us; things are given to us to be used wisely and well. We should go into this ecstasy of “All is Thine”. As Sadhu Vaswani said, he is just a zero, a sindhi zero, which is but a dot. Similarly, no one belongs to us. God can take anyone back when He wills. We do not even have the right to shed tears.

Always remember – all that happens is for good. This should be accepted as holy prasad. There is a meaning of mercy in everything for He is too merciful and wise. This acceptance changes ones attitude.

Also, prayer is essential to conquer and escape from the bondage of maya .

The spiritual river continued to take us in its flow for the rest of the day, meandering through yoga, walks, satsang and kirtan. The Divine aura created by the singing of the Lord's name buoyed us with joy and energy to greet Dada with several questions, the answers to which made us all burst into a land, bubbly waterfall of laughter and joy. Happily we were swept into the realm of the Divine, unknowingly and unerringly absorbing Dada's spiritual guidance.

Q1. Dada, you said fate and destiny is in our hands. Then, what is God's role?

Ans. There are different types of karma. One is Sanchit Karma, which is the storehouse of our karma in totality. Then there is Prarabda karma in which a portion of the Sanchit Karma is taken out. This fructifies in the present birth. This fragment is decided by God. Thus He dispenses Karma and within that we have our part to play.

Q2. How to beat the ego? Is it possible to kill it?

Ans. Whenever we try to destroy the ego, it is subdued for a while and then resurrects itself. Thus the Grace of Guru and God are essential for the final destruction of the ego.

Q3. The soul and mind are knotted together. How to unknot the soul from the mind to attain realization.

Ans. Elevate the mind to the status of the soul. Only when the light of the soul filters from the Buddhi to the manas and the mind becomes radiant, then it is no different from the soul. So illuminate, not separate. This is what gives the Jeevatma.

Q4. Dada, how much to pray to be able to see God?

Ans. Pray ceaselessly till you see God. For this two things are essential – patience and perseverance. Never Give Up.

Q5. Can something terrible like war or a terrorist attack be the will of God? If yes, then why?

Ans. Acts like terrorist attacks are not inspired by God. He watches but is not involved. Each individual is given freedom with which He will not interfere. Hence it is necessary for the Buddhi to be awakened with each individual to tell the right from wrong. But man comes under mayanic forces and yields to temptation. The choice is his, so the responsibility is also us.

Q6. My son and I have a turbulent relationship even though he is just 7 yrs old. What to do?

Ans. Give more love. Some children are born with Asuric (Denuraic) Prakriti, which should be converted to Daivi Prakriti and this is possible only through love. Love is the greatest though most unused force in the world.

Q7. We pray to forms, but God is formless and Infinite how to worship?

Ans. There are 2 ways to worship –

•  Nirakar – worship of the formless God

•  Sakaar – worship through a form.

God is beyond both , form and formless. For the sake of this devotees God has assumed several forms. We must finally try to go beyond both.

Q8. How to be unattached to the family? It is but natural to love them.

Ans. Love all, but do not be attached. Sometimes, in fact, attachment can be a denial of love. Love the Divine in the other.

At night was the Camp-Fire where different groups played Antakshari with Bhajans with a lot of fun and frolic.

Day 3, Sept 5, 2004

After the Kirtan and meditation; the focus was on the walk-a-thon which was a short distance away. The wealth was perfect and the air clear and crisp encouraging all to walk their best in order to collect funds for college scholarships for needy students. Many enjoyed the crisp walk with Dada. Mr. Rajpal Hundraj from Pakistan , 64 years old along with another 21 year old, walked the maximum – 6 kms.

As this delayed all the other programmes. Dada's Ruh-Rihaan and question-answer session were moved to the evening.

Dada continued with the theme of maya , stating that there were 3 forms or types of maya –

•  Kanchan – this refers to gold, wealth, money, material possessions. We go to far off lands and through several hardships for money. How much more should it be for spiritual wealth. We think of all the acquisitions as “ours” when under the influence of maya . When blinded by maya we cannot distinguish between right and wrong, between what is duty and the which is not. The desire for money is insatiable, but we must realize that nothing belongs to us.

•  Kama , lust or pleasure of the senses – Due to this many sins are committed. Animals are killed for the pleasure of taste. Senses run after sense objects. We have to learn how to control our senses.

•  Kirti, fame – The desire for this too is never satisfied and makes one go to unbelievable lengths in order to achieve it.

This talk was folwed by some bhajans and then we immediately had question-answer session.

Q1. Dear Dada, it is difficult to belive the stories of Hindu mythology. Are they true or false?

Ans. Many of the stories are symbolic and not to be taken literally. For example Lord Ganesha has an elephants trunk. This symbolizes the wisdom of an elephant. Also, his vehicle is a rat which is a symbol of humility.

Q2. Lord Krishna says He is the doer and the creator. Then why do we continue making errors?

Ans. Lord Krishna has also given us the freedom of choice, which entails responsibility. On this is based the theory of Karma.

Q3. What is the purpose of facing East during prayers and is it necessary?

Ans. Towards the East if the Light of the sun. Facing the North is also beneficial and it is the direction of the Himalayas – the domain of great Sadhu and yogis as it helps meditation.

Q4. At work we are encouraged to compete. How to do so without the involvement of maya or ego?

Ans. Let God take over all that you do. Without the feeling of ego or competition, in a spirit of surrender utilize this attitude in your work. The deepest aspiration should be – All is not mine, by the glory, Lord.

Q5. You say we should accept death, so why not just die now and finish with it?

Ans. No-o-o, don't take the law into your hands, otherwise you will have to pay heavily for it. This life is a gift from God and only He can take it away, that too when the individual's karma is over.

After dinner was the cultural programme which was beautifully rendered by the adults and the children participating in it. It was on the life of Tulsidas, his growth and the intertwining of his life with Lord Rama. Dada then lovingly presented a gift to each participant.

Day 4, Sept 6, 2004

The waking up on this day was with mixed feelings. There was joy for it was the auspicious day of Janamashtami and also the prospect of being a few more hours with Dada.

We were blessed to be with Dada on this day, for God himself took a human birth in the form of Lord Krishna and came on this earth. Dada said, hence it is celebrated with enthusiasm, but this can only be true when Krishna is born in our hearts. This Camp was started with the theme of freedom from the bondage of maya and should end with the prayer – You dwell within me. Dada further enumerated the qualities of and incidents from the life of Lord Krishna.

There are 2 ways to attain freedom from maya –

•  Become so big as to embrace all of Creation

•  Become so tiny as to escape from the holes of maya's mesh.

Khalil Gibran believed that many talked incessantly because they are restless souls, not at peace within. Dada endorsed sitting in silence, entering deep within ourselves where by the Grace of God we can hear the flute of Krishna saying – come to Me and attain. Eternal Rest. With this blessing the Camp came to a close.

Besides all the internal cleansing there was another marvelous outcome of their Sadhana Camp. Dada had brought to everyone's attention that Indian children living in the Western world were not really aware of their Hindu religion, their language, their rich cultural heritage and if only it were possible to have some sort of school or Summer Camp for the children to make up this deficit. The adults as well as the children present , dug deep into their pockets and made pledges for donations for this project and came up with an amount which would make it possible for this dream to come true!