Sahajyogi Rustom : Shri Mataji, could You say something about maintaining our attention so that it stays where it should and it doesn’t get diverted into trivial things?
Shri Mataji: Rustom has asked a very practical question, it’s true – that “to keep the attention where it should be.”
You see, for everything you have to do some exercise – abhyasa – not before Realization, after Realization.
The best way is to learn how to watch yourself. Just now, sitting here, just put yourself into a position from where you watch yourself: “Now what am I doing?”
This is the abhyasa, this is the study. Apart from mantras, apart from anything, the abhyasa is the practice, practice of becoming a witness. And the witness is the Spirit state.
There attention will not go. I mean you will see everything, it is there, but attention will be inside. Try to practice this: “Am I a witness?”
Now, say, some people say:” Oh God! I had a horrible time, Mother. This happened, that happened.” You see, you are not a witness. How can you have a horrible time if you are the Spirit? You only have a horrible time when you are not the Spirit.
If you can watch the whole thing as a drama that is played, then you are not having a horrible time, but this outside of you is having a horrible time, which you are watching.
That’s how the attention can be fixed very well if you practice abhyasas, practice all the time to be witness. Say, you go out, you see something, just try to see it, not to think about it. Be a witness of the whole thing. The joy will be complete, and also you will become absolutely peaceful. Your attention will be completely enlightened.
And then the inspiration you will get will be tremendous.
See, it’s working out. Working out. Try to watch. And it has such a tremendous memory, if you know how to watch. I mean, to Me, if I see something – I mean, to Me it is just like a film in My mind. If I have seen this room, now I know what is in this design. Everything I know: how you are sitting, what pose you have taken, how you were, what was it – everything is like a design. You see it comes to Me, just like a picture – absolutely. Not of this life, but of lives.
Because that’s a recording system that records best. If there are thoughts it’s like something in between, you see. Now he is trying to record Me on the film, and if there is something in between moving, nothing will come in. But when there is nothing in between and you are just seeing through, you are recording everything that is important. Moreover you will be amazed, you don’t record unimportant things.
Like for people now, they go to a village, or any place. They will be recording: “Oh God, it was very dirty, and this happened and we went there and there were cement to sleep, for example, we get.” Or: “Then we went inside, and there was no proper chair to sit down. And the chair was so hard, and my back started aching.” All these things they will remember.
And then what happened? “Oh God! I couldn’t get Realization.” Everything that bad, you see, just like newspaper – all bad news. But to a person who is a Realized soul in a real way, he doesn’t see, I mean, you don’t smell anything dirty.
You always smell something good. You never smell, you do not think of anything dirty. Everywhere you go, it’s beautiful. Even if you see just the sand, you see the pattern. Even if you see a barren hill.
I saw some people who had gone. I said, “Look at the beauty of these hills, in Maharashtra.” They said: “Mother, what is the beauty? It’s not covered with trees.” I said, “That’s the beauty, just see the patterns.” They couldn’t see the patterns that I was seeing. But if you ask Me, “What is this hill?” I also know that. Because I know the patterns of all the hills, how it has moved, how it has made patterns and things like that.
Because they don’t see that, you see, they cannot see the beauty because they are looking out for defects. Or relatively, you see, “English trees are better than say X, Y, Z trees. So then this is not better.” The relative they start. But you are at absolute point, you are getting the absolute of everything. Everything is your own. What is there to judge?
Reference :- 1982-08-06
