That morning Theo was apparently determined to ask his friend about constant remembrance.
Sitting back, the Elder looked at him attentively.
Theo. – Today, I wish you could clarify for me a particular element in our spiritual practice, the one you call ‘constant remembrance’. I understand the need for meditation, for regeneration, and for the power of a prayer that connects us to the Source. I feel constant remembrance holds treasures I look forward to discovering. Could you tell me more about it?
The Elder – The idea is that once you have established a channel of communication between God and you, you should maintain it constantly and voluntarily, so that this channel may be unique and pour into you all that the Lord wants for you, as well as His energy (pranahuti) and all His blessings.
– An infinite source for progress… Theo whispered pensively.
But why should it be a voluntary practice? You kept telling me that we couldn’t live without that divine source that is within us, within every human being and each one of God’s creatures.
The Elder – God has offered the gift of life to each and every one of His creatures. As far as human beings are concerned, He has gone a step forward when establishing a pact of eternity that makes them his representatives and co-creators within Him.
Theo. – With Him?
The Elder – No! I said and mean within Him. After God gave us life, he drew away and let us free to use our power to create. Thus, on top of having been created in His image, and endowed with all His qualities and virtues, we have also been given free will.
Theo. – I always saw it as a mistake, considering the world men have created.
The Elder – If ever there is a mistake, it is necessarily ours. He gave us freedom, but never cut us off from Him. We have forgotten Him. So many people still live as if He would not even exist. Sooner or later, they will have to awaken to Him and re-discover what binds them to the Creator, to the Divine.
Theo. – You have already told me about the first man, Adam, whose fault was, if I have understood correctly, to part from God and make his own creation. You had called it ‘The Adam’s complex’.
The Elder – That’s right, and don’t forget that we are all Adams; we have come down here in order to respect and achieve the pact established with God and become again the universal beings we were.
Theo. – That seems to be quite remote!
The Elder – And yet, God is so close to us, within our hearts, there where the bond was sealed.
Theo. – What do you mean?
The Elder – It is just like the chakras, which are represented in the form of lotuses, but in most people these lotuses are there in the form of seeds.
While drawing it on a sheet of paper, Theophile gave the following explanation:
– Most of the time, what symbolizes the realization of a human being’s own possibilities is a flower blooming at the surface of the ‘Waters’, the primary waters that contain all the possibilities for realization in their primal and original unity. Usually, in the East the flower is a lotus, whereas in the West it is either a rose or a lily. The lotus is the symbol of a being’s spiritual achievement, starting from the obscure depths the ‘Lower Waters’ are associated with, to the complete blooming in the full light of the ‘Higher Waters’.
Theo. – So it goes from potentialities, dormant potentialities, to potentialities that must be awakened?
The Elder – Exactly! Each seed has to be watered with light so that it may begin to live and unfold. When it grows, the seed becomes a lotus bud that will finally open to the Lord’s light, thus showing all its beauty and exhaling its divine fragrance. Babuji used to call that seed granthi, a knot represented as a point. There are five of them in the heart region, another five ones in the cosmic region, and three more, until we reach the Centre. The knots also represent the entanglement and complexity of the chakras-to-be. The point is a peculiarity. It is dimensionless, as God is, and both in and out of time.
Theo. – Once, you explained how each point was connected to one of the five elements. So, thanks to you, I’ve had the possibility to rapidly explore what was happening in each place until the brahmanda-mandal (God’s region) was reached. That moment was quite essential for me. I even thought I had reached the goal, but then, you said it had been a mere introduction. What did you mean exactly?
The Elder – During a primary initiation, the heart is purified, and the samskaras, the complexities are dissolved. The soul is awakened through a yogic transmission of energy that will set it in motion.
Theo. – Does that mean the soul was dormant before?
The Elder – It was in a sort of doze, yes, and transmission has awakened it to itself, reminding it of its true nature and of the pact it had sealed with its Creator.
Theo. – Hence the remembrance. We were amnesic; like Sleeping Beauty, we have been awakened to ourselves by Prince Charming. We then remembered our divine origin and now we aspire to getting back our status as God’s child.
The Elder – That primary initiation goes very far. So far, the soul of an individual was mainly bound to his/her personality (jiva). It was fully oriented towards an outer life. Its consciousness of existing, of the Self, was limited.
Theo. – And its unconscious was very active.
The Elder (nodded and continued):
– Consciousness (chit), the soul of the individual, once it has been awakened, is now directed inwards, it is directly connected to its Source, its Creator, that some people may also call ‘God’. Then the soul remembers what her real nature was like, and it aspires to recovering its original status.
Theo. – And I can testify that it is no easy task. I have been initiated more than two years ago now. There are times when I can live again the sublime moments you had me experience, but at other times I feel that I’m dozing again, that I have lost all connection with my inner being, which makes me really suffer; I can even be dejected then.
The Elder – That is the reason why you practice daily and need a trainer to help you. He helps you purify each one of your chakras. He guides your soul’s advancement (yatra = spiritual journey), he catches you up whenever you lose your way or you feel dejected, but above all, he transmits pranahuti, the divine breath, which nourishes your soul during its quest for the Ultimate.
Theo. – And now what about constant remembrance? What is it for?
The Elder – It helps you maintain the channel constantly open. That is why, the first thing you do in the morning, when you wake up, is to meditate on the divine light in your heart.
Theo. – I don’t do it every morning, but I always say the prayer. When I have got no time for meditating, or if I don’t feel like it, I just say the prayer and I remain focused on its vibration for a while. If ever the night was pretty agitated for me, the prayer makes me feel that I am re-connecting, or at least re-initiating my connection to the divine. You know, it is just like the reset key we tap on our computers. It is about something that is there, but to which you have no longer an access. So, you try to regain the search process, a way to find the right file. At other times, it is already there. Then I go deeper into it or I just become aware of how deep it is, and I do my best to raise that sublime vibration to the surface. Nothing in the world would make me start my day without being fully in touch with that vibration. It would give me the feeling that I am not myself and that I would start the day off on the wrong foot.
The Elder – That is the reason why the prayer is so essential to the practice of constant remembrance. It connects us to the Source of Light, to the divine within us, and it reminds us of what can bar the advancement of our soul in its quest for God. It also tells us about the help available.
Theo. – I must confess that I often start saying “Oh, Master!” or just “Oh!” Lately, I would simply attune to the vibration of the prayer. It is the very vibration I can feel whenever I let my heart take a break during the day and when I say again that prayer-meditation before going to bed.
The Elder (jokingly) – I see! So, you are doing the minimal practice, aren’t you?
Theo. (laughing) – I only aim at optimizing my resources and the time I have. As Daaji said, we must simplify our lives, so I simplify everything.
Then Theo added, mischievously;
– Did not Babuji say: “God is simple and the means to reach Him must be simple too”?
The Elder (smiling as he goes further on) – You will be surprised but I can tell you that constant remembrance is the key to laziness!
Theo. (astonished) – What do you mean?
The Elder – Well! When you really practice, you practice constantly, because you are permanently in touch with the divine vibration, so that when your time comes, you will be connected with the Lord Himself. Yet, this is a grace that only depends on His will and on your soul’s maturity.
Theo thinks it over for a while:
– Such prospects seem to be still quite elusive…
The Elder – Meanwhile, you should just practice regularly. Your practice must be flexible, bare and efficient. That is quite essential for those who have not crossed the heart region yet.
Theo. – Why?
The Elder – The heart region is the region of duality. We must purify each point, each chakra, and balance all the tendencies emerging from each one of these elements.
Theo. – Is there a chakra anatomy?
The Elder – You can see it that way:
- Its roots are anchored in the form: annamaya-kosha.
- It is fuelled by prana, the breath or energy: pranamaya-kosha.
- It is meshed with the ego-related tendencies (abangara).
- It is invaded by the samskaras located in the subtle body.
Theo. – Then it means that the samskaras are omnipresent. That’s a real nuisance!
The Elder – That is why we have a daily cleaning to wash away the samskaras of the day, and another cleaning, a deeper one, with a trainer.
Theo. – Could not that cleaning be done all at once, right from the introductory meditations?
The Elder – Everything must be done out of love and moderation in order to preserve the aspirant’s balance. There is a natural way to grow and mature, and it must be acquired over time.
Theo. – Then what happens?
The Elder – When a person starts practicing the meditation on the heart the Sahaj Marg recommends, the person’s soul is in fact the decider and the person’s personality is the information receiver. The soul has decided to start seeking for God or to go on with its quest in a more intensive way. So it starts seeking for the proper way and for the proper guide. The latter is there to make the soul be ready for getting in touch with its divine Inner Master. That will happen during the first transmission.
Theo. – And then?
The Elder – The samskara relating to fear is removed.
Theo. – Why this particular one?
The Elder – Because it is a tendency related to the fear of being separated from God.
The Elder – But how could we be separated from God when God dwells at the very heart of every existing being, of every particle and of every atom?
The Elder – The illusion of being separated is what has been removed. Deep down, the person experiences a great relief and a profound peace.
Theo. – Can any other effects be expected from that first transmission?
The Elder – A free flow of love, a permanent connection with the divine energy. The soul finds the way to itself and to being connected with its Lord. I could go as far as saying that it feels it is being propelled ‘within’ its Lord. The soul becomes aware that though the Lord was always there for it, he respected its will to be free and independent.
Theo. – Is the connection permanent right from the moment it was initiated?
The Elder – Yes of course!
Theo. – Then why do we have to practice?
The Elder – To refresh our connection and make the channel wider; it also has many other effects each person will have to discover by him/herself.
Theo. – So, it does not all happen at the same time!
The Elder – You have just used the proper word: ‘time’. God is both out of time, as the Absolute, and in time with us. Time involves an evolution, a progression. It justifies the initiatory journey of the soul through the heart region, through the cosmic region (God-the-Creator’s region), then through the dimensions that will take us to the Central region and, finally, to the Centre.
Theo. – A Centre that is itself a Gate to the Infinite, to eternity, a Centre that is God.
You had said to me that it would require seven or eight years of spiritual work for me to reach God’s region (brahmanda-mandal) and you initiated me two and a half years ago. Would not be there any shortcuts by the way?
The Elder – It all depends on how you see it. In its essence (atman), the soul is already God; fully God. It does not evolve. So, if you get in touch with your soul, that’s that. It is beyond time.
As for the individual soul, the soul that was incarnated and has built a personality with all its bodies, it belongs to time. It is in the kingdom of the manifestation (pindesh), which is governed by the laws of Prakriti (the Nature). It evolves within time. It is submitted to duality, to the three gunas:
Theo. – Could you please recall what the three gunas are?
The Elder – Yes, of course.
There is ‘tamas’, the slowdown forces, which also favour interiorizing; when they are heavy and negative, we call them the Forces of the Shade, or dark forces. ‘Tamas’ is centripetal.
Then there is ‘rajas’, the acceleration forces. They are centrifugal, and they will externalize you, make you agitated. When these rajas forces are heavy and negative, they produce anger, excitement and an excessive passion. These two forces tend to decenter us, to destabilize us.
The third force, the forceless force, is called ‘sattva’. It corresponds to the perfect balance of the concerned forces. It allows us to remain centered, connected to our selves and in tune with the divine within our hearts.
Theo. – So tamas and rajas are identical to the yin-yang polarity, I guess; and they are useful for acquiring life skills.
The Elder – Provided they are in an adequate proportion and in a dynamic equilibrium.
When that is the case, the sattvic state will have you see Reality.
Theo. – How is that?
The Elder – Take the yin-yang example. Sunlight is what allows us to see a mountain: during the day, and according to the time, the mountain casts its shadow.
Theo. – The part in the sunlight is yang and the part in the shadow is yin.
The Elder – Sure! But what matters here is the mountain. It represents Reality. The mountain is the mountain. When the sun is at its peak, there is no shadow. At night, the mountain does not seem to exist anymore, because it can’t be perceived, but it still is. That is Reality: whatever the position of the sun, and whatever the moment when it is perceived. The capacity to observe Reality under all circumstances and whatever the object you observe, that’s what the sattvic state really is.
Theo. – Observing Reality means the capacity to observe God within us.
The Elder – As well as the effects of His Presence within us. Life is movement. God can be observed only through His manifestation, ‘in Himself’, shall we say…
Theo. – I know. He is that ‘Nothing’ from where everything comes. Now, what about God the Creator, the one you call the Lord?
The Elder – The God who created this universe is also a manifestation, the subtlest possible one. We say He is omnipresent, omniscient and omnipotent. We can observe Him and see Him in his creatures and in the magnificence of His creation.
Theo. – That is what you do when you find Him in each one of the persons you meet, isn’t it? It is what we call the empathetic phenomenon.
The Elder – At first, indeed, the hearts have to attune: they enter in syntony. When it happens in the first dimension of the heart, it is empathy indeed, sympathy, a real brotherhood based on the natural union of the hearts. There are no more traps, and accepting oneself and the other one is the rule. It is a refined and very subtle non-mental communication.
Theo. – It seems you mean that there is something more in it…
The Elder – There is indeed, provided the hearts are pure and liberated; then the communication takes quite a different turn.
Theo. – What do you mean with pure and liberated hearts?
The Elder – The samskaras and the tendencies are either absent or inactive, suspended to that very moment. Like a mirror, the heart has the capacity to reflect the divine light without being held up by any form or impression. It will reflect God and nothing else. Then, we can see and wonder. God meets God in each one of His creatures in his presence. It is no longer a communication: it is a communion.
Theo. – My intuition tells me there is still something more.
The Elder – The space in your heart is no longer yours, even though it is at the heart of your being. It belongs to God and only to Him.
Theo. – Is it what the mystics call the Union with God and the goal Babuji mentions in his third maxim: “Fix your Goal, which should be complete oneness with God. Rest not till the ideal is achieved”?
The Elder – Exactly! In the journey of the soul (yatra), it corresponds to the Thousand Petalled Lotus, “sahasra dal kama“. That state is called the ‘union with God’ or ‘Realisation’.
Theo. – That must be the moment when practice is no longer required.
The Elder – At such a stage of your evolution, practice has become constant. Your heart totally belongs to the Lord. Nothing else can now enter it or disturb it. It is in its original state of purity, and grace flows through it permanently.
Theo. – Is that state related to reaching point 2? You had told me that until then, the heart was oriented outwards, and that starting from point 2 it was oriented inwards, towards the dimension of love and of pure devotion to the Lord.
The Elder – Jesus Christ is an epitome of it.
Theophile the Elder
An excerpt from Dialogs with Theophile the Elder
Theophile the Younger’s Initiation