Mumbai Local is not a train from one station to another. It is an experience.
The traffic jams on roads will turn you towards the local. And presumably you’ll develop the art of finding space and moving with the crowd instead of standing at one place. Bruce Lee’s advice of being like water will resonate in your ears.
In crowded local trains you don’t have to move towards the exit, you are pushed automatically by the crowd!
When you are in a fully packed train, you always want to sit. But, when the train is vacant, you will love to stand at the door. This is the Mumbai Local effect.
This week, I travelled by train after such a long time. Nearest railway station to Wadala is Dadar. From Dadar to reach “YSS kendra” its takes 30 minutes walk.
That day, afternoon local train from Malad to Dadar was empty. I got a nice seat and reached Dadar on time. By the time I reached the YSS kendra, it was 6 pm.
“It will close soon.”, Security guard
” This is the first time I am here. I will not take much time.” I said
“Why dont you goto first floor and check the meditation room? There are some people who are practicing meditation there, see if you would like to join them.” One lady from the Office said.
The meditation hall was peaceful….6-7 senior citizens.
What took my attention was this.
starting from left, Lahiri Mahasaya, Mahavatar Babaji, Jesus Christ , Bhagavan Krishna, Paramahansa Yogananda, Swami Sri Yukteswar
I spent 15 minutes in meditation room and left.
“Your name is Arati right?” Lady at the reception
“Yes”, she must have checked the register, I told myself.
“Do come here again. Paramahansa Yogananda has given importance to group meditation. Consider a coal stove, where pieces of charcoal are burning red hot. If one piece of charcoal is taken out and kept aside, what happens to this piece? It slowly loses its heat and becomes black. But if, before it loses its heat completely, it is brought back to the stove, it picks up its glow again.
The same thing happens with us. For instance, there is a lot of inspiration and we make new resolutions: “From now on I will be more serious about meditation.” But when we get back home, the environment may be such that the inspiration slowly wanes. So if you begin to lose that inspiration, bring yourself back by participation in one of the YSS/SRF meditation groups. There it will pick up again.” She continued.
“Okay” I replied with a smile.
That was my first visit to YSS, Mumbai kendra.
On return journey, local train was very crowded. I somehow managed to get down at Malad station.
The Mumbai Local is not a train from one station to another. It is an experience.
During this train journey, we may see all types of people. Some are happy, some are excited. We may see unhappy people, who are disappointed or in pain. We have a choice where to focus our attention.
Whenever we are looking for things to appreciate, we have control of our own vibrations and our own point of attraction. But when we are responding to the way others seem to feel about us, we lose self control.
Once we have made a decision that nothing is more important than that we feel good, and today we are going to look for some things to appreciate. The object of our attention has now become the feeling of appreciation.
Abhraham in one of their workshops said:
If we were standing in your physical shoes, we would do these things everyday:
1). We would meditate for minimum 15 minutes
2). We would go outside, no matter what the weather and move around in it in appreciation of this planet. We would look up and around and we would find things to appreciate, and we would talk about them right out loud: ‘you are my favorite bird in the tree, you are my favorite flower in bloom, you are my favorite person’
3). We would buy a notepad, call it my Book of Positive Aspects, and we would fill 3 or 4 or 5 pages of positive aspects. Five different subjects and write the positive aspects of it.
And then there is one last thing that we would do EVERY SINGLE DAY, we would look upward and outward, best if you do it outside or standing near a window, and we would acknowledge that there are Universal Forces that are focused right at you, and we would say:
‘I acknowledge that I AM the object of your positive attention, and I’m appreciating your continual gaze on behalf of my well-being, and today, no matter where I am, no matter where I’m going, no matter who I’m doing it with, I will be in conscious awareness that you too are there with me, appreciating me, supporting me, assisting me, acknowledging me, inspiring me, guiding me, having fun with me, helping me, aware of me, loving me, showing me, uplifting me’—-get into an endless loop of that kind of acknowledgement, we will stay connected to that divine power every day.
I think thats it I can share today.
Time to eat something and go out. Today I am a host. My friends are here. Since moring with Shital’s (cook) help I am making breafast and lunch for them.
Right now if you go in the kitchen, you will see a mountain of Idlis 🙂
Today is Saturday.
Together lets keep moving forward. Lets keep meditating every day, lets keep ourselves clean.
Wishing you a wonderful weekend sweetheart.
Stay blessed. Stay happy Always.
Lots of love,
Arati
❤️
