1. isbn 978-1-934364-61-1

Content: "Is Spirituality relevant in our time?"

Content: A FRANK TALK WITH THE PRESS

Content: PARAMAHAMSA SRI NITHYANANDA SWAMIGAL

Content: Meditation is the single key that unlocks body, mind and spirit. - Swami Nithyananda Created by SWAMIJI'S DIVINE GRACE through RAJI

Content: Copyright © 2011 - 'Year of Sharing Enlightenment'

Content: First Edition: 2004 Second Edition: July 2011 Ebook ISBN: 979-8-88572-299-5 Print Edition ISBNs: ISBN 13: 978-1-934364-61-1 ISBN 10: 1-934364-61-4

Content: All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, or stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted by any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise, without written permission of the publisher. In the event that you use any of the information in this book for yourself, the author and the publisher assume no responsibility for your actions.

Content: All proceeds from the sale of this book go towards supporting charitable activities.

Content: Contact us: Nithyananda Mission, Bidadi Ashram, Nithyanandapuri, Kallugopahalli, Off Mysore Road, Bidadi, Bangalore District - 562 109. Karnataka, INDIA URL: www.nithyananda.org Email: [email protected]

Content: Paramahamsa Sri Nithyananda Swamigal is a truly revolutionary spiritual master of our century.

Content: Swamiji embarked upon his spiritual journey at a very young age. He traversed the length and breadth of India on foot, studying with great masters in India and Nepal and practising intense tapasya with extraordinary vigour. He experienced the final flowering of consciousness on 1st January, 2000 - the sacred day of his Enlightenment.

Content: With a pragmatic yet compassionate approach to life and spirituality, and an enlightened insight into the core of human nature, Swamiji has reached out to touch millions of hearts across the world.

Content: Swamiji's mission is simple - to awaken the divinity that lies latent in man. To this end, he inaugurated the worldwide movement for meditation - Dhyana Peetam - on 1st January, 2003. With its spiritual nervecentre in Bidadi (near Bangalore in India) and over 100 centres around the world, Dhyana Peetam works towards the transformation of humanity through the inner transformation of the individual. Swamiji's divine healing powers and simple, practical meditation techniques help you blossom in every sphere of life - be it physical, emotional, intellectual or spiritual.

Content: 4

Content: Q. What are the benefits of meditation in today’s society?

Content: In any age and time, what are the things that every human being needs in life?

Content: Strength and well-being of the body, of the mind and of the spirit.

Content: The strength of Body (shair bal) keeps us free of physical diseases and helps the body maintain itself in such a way that we can carry on our day-to-day activities without any problems.

Content: The strength of Mind (manobal) keeps our minds calm and balanced and helps us live life fully and joyfully.

Content: The strength of Spirit (atmabal) takes us beyond both these; with atmabal there arises a sense of compassion, a spirit of tyaag, of service to society.

Content: While both the others are necessary only for the continuation and well-being of the individual, atmabal is essential for the continuation and well-being of society and humanity.

Content: With only bodily strength, a man can become a thug, a rowdy, a nuisance in society. If he possesses bodily and mental strength without the strength of spirit, he becomes cunning, dangerous. He could become a criminal, a menace to society.

Content: Only when man combines all three strengths does he flower as a complete individual. He becomes an asset to the society in which he lives, and to the world.

Content: The single master key that can unlock all these strengths is meditation.

Content: It is now well known that meditation can work wonders for the body. Through meditation one can cure diseases like BP, diabetes, hypertension and a whole range of ailments. Many have experienced these benefits for all kinds of pains, even intellectuals agree on this matter.

Content: Meditation helps you to cleanse your chakras. Have

Content: you all heard about the chakras? In our body there are seven subtle energy centers which control our physical, mental and emotional activities. When all these chakras are functioning harmoniously, only then do you experience a sense of physical well-being. Meditation works on your chakras, it helps cleanse the chakras, to make them function harmoniously, to keep your body and free of disease.

Content: On the mental level, meditation can free the mind from depression. It can help us acquire greater mental clarity, and be a guide to us to live our lives more completely and with a sense of fulfilment, both individually and as a part of the family and society. Meditation helps us make fuller use of our time and energy, so naturally we get increased material comfort also.

Content: In the same way, meditation helps bring out our atmabhaktī and creates a deep sense of peace. When ānanda flowers inside us, we naturally want to spread it in society. If we ourselves are miserable, how can we be of any use to society? Meditation is the one route that gives us all these three strengths.

Content: So meditation benefits us on a physical, mental and emotional plane, and enhances family life, social life and ultimately it leads to the spiritual life. This is the wisdom gathered by the great enlightened masters over the centuries.

Content: Q. A lot of people come to you for healing, not for meditation.

Content: Exactly! Healing is my visiting card. My real message is meditation. When I say that meditation can lead you to the ultimate, I need - or you need - a proof, right? That's why I promote healing. When people see the miracle of healing they become drawn to me, they want to know more about this path. Without that do you think it is easy to draw people into the spiritual life? Of the thousands who come for healing, if even a handful turn to meditation and spirituality in their personal lives, my purpose is served. And it is happening, it is happening everywhere.

Content: Q. Lots of masters emphasise meditation. What makes your technique special?

Content: I don't consider it necessary to promote any particular technique as special. I promote the principle of meditation. If more and more people are inspired to practise meditation after listening to me, that itself is sufficient, it is a good sign. It can be any method they feel comfortable with.

Content: But if you are asking about my method, you could say that it is a way of balancing our inner energies. There is an energy that pervades the cosmos, that works the planets, the sun and the moon. We are also part of this same energy, but we have lost touch. This technique helps in tuning us to this cosmic energy.

Content: Q. There are so many meditation techniques, we get confused. Each group tries to promote its own technique. How do we know which technique is right for us?

Content: I advise you to try out as many techniques as you come across. Everyone should try out some techniques, at least 4-5 techniques. See, everyone who preaches has a spark of truth inside – without that it is impossible to come out and be a master. But different masters preach the same truth in different ways. Also different people have different mental make-ups. So may fall in tune easier with one master, rather than another.

Content: So try out the techniques and see: whichever gives you the deepest inner peace and the greatest clarity, follow it and forget the all rest.

Content: Q. There are so many problems in the world which have not been solved. How can spirituality solve them?

Content: Whatever problem it is, you have to make a beginning to solve it. Have determination and faith, that is the first step.

Content: Q. But I don't mean our personal problems, what about the huge social problems?

Content: Spirituality is not just a personal thing. It can have definite repercussions on the social level also. Spirituality is not just dhyana, it is also compassion, it is service to society.

Content: Vivekananda says beautifully: “Aatmanomokshaartham jagat hitaayache”

Content: “Though we may attain enlightenment, to harness it for the service of humanity is true spirituality.”

Content: Otherwise, it is only half spirituality, which causes even more trouble than agnosticism.

Content: Q. Does true spirituality mean not to have any desires?

Content: No, that is the wrong way of looking at it. From my experience, rather than cutting down desires,

Content: harness your inner energy better, so that you can fulfil them.

Content: Q. But in modern day life there are too many desires, too many expectations. How do we reduce it?

Content: To reduce desires is to reduce the richness of life. As I said, the important thing is to create the energy inside to fulfil those desires. Nothing wrong in having desires, but you should work hard towards fulfilling the desires. Even if they are material desires, even if you want to buy a Benz car, nothing wrong. Meditation can give you the energy to fulfil even materialistic desires.

Content: Q. But how can you go on increasing your desires, instead of leading a contented

Content: 13

Content: and desire-free life?

Content: Don't ever think of a contented life as the same as spiritual life. Sattva and tamas may look the same on the surface. Do you think that anyone who wears simple clothes and sits on a mat on the floor is more sattvic and contented? That could be only the external appearance. It could also be that simply because he doesn't have the energy, he may make do with whatever he has have. Resignation and contentment are not the same, thuogh they may appear so.

Content: Q. But what if your mind is naturally content with what you have?

Content: That kind of a mind is the by-product of spirituality, it cannot lead you to spirituality. You can't learn the attitude of contentment and try to make that a stepping stone to spirituality. Always people ask you to learn to be content. Be very clear, you cannot learn

Content: to be content, you cannot acquire the attitude. Contentment has to flower within you as a natural result of spirituality, of meditation. Through meditation, you get a deep satisfaction from life which allows you to be content with whatever you have.

Content: Q. Compared to other contemporary swamis, you appear very young. Do you consider it a disadvantage?

Content: Nothing is an advantage or disadvantage. Ultimately, people are interested in what I have to offer. No one is affected by such details. Also, at least as far as spirituality is concerned, the ordinary ‘life experience’ is immaterial.

Content: See, there are two kinds of experience – anubhava and anubhooti.

Content: Anubhava is acquired over a lifetime. It is like learning

Content: that fire burns, after testing hundreds of kinds of fire all your life. First you touch a log fire and find out that it burns, then you touch a gaslight and find that it burns, then you try an oil lamp, then a match – and finally by the time you realise that fire always burns, it is time for you to go to the burning ghat! This is anubhava.

Content: My experience is anubhooti. It happens when you learn from the very first fire – all fires are like this, all desires are like this. That leap is spirituality.

Content: If you come through anubhava you need a lifetime to become wise. Anubhuti need intelligence, not age.

Content: So age is neither an advantage or a disadvantage for me – it is such, that's all!

Content: Q. All over the world, attempts are being made to reform social wrongdoers, e.g. in jails, etc. through practice of meditation. Do you agree with these efforts?

Content: Certainly. We should definitely make these attempts. The state of jails today is such that a person who goes to jail for stealing 100 rupees comes out with enough training for stealing 10 lakhs!

Content: These places have become centers of negativity. Just like universities bring out graduates or maths bring out spiritual people, jails have become big academies for training criminals, rather than reforming criminals.

Content: Meditation can definitely do a lot in this area. Because ultimately the change has to come from inside the individual. Before you can see the change in society, the transformation should take place inside every individual, inside every potential criminal. Meditation can not only transform individuals, ultimately it can definitely bring down the crime rate in society.

Content: Q. What is karma?

Content: Whenever an action has been started, but not completed, there is a force that pulls you to complete it, to fulfil the experience. That is karma. Any unfulfilled desire can act as that force. Even if you drink a glass of water without entering the experience fully, it will leave you with a sense of dissatisfaction. This dissatisfaction draws you to enter into another body and repeat the very same actions, again and again, till you get fulfillment. That tension or pull which you experience is karma.

Content: This is the explanation which I give for karma. Karma is not ‘fate’ or vidhi as you call it. According to my experience, there is no such thing as vidhi. The future is left completely open by existence. It is we who decide. If you live the present moment fully, without worrying about the past and the future - fully, deeply, truly – that is enough. You can free of karma. Karma cannot touch you.

Content: Q. What are punya and paap?

Content: Whatever fills you with love and joy, expands your personality, whatever makes you feel love and compassion for others, is punya.

Content: Whatever withdraws you from others, makes you feel unhappy and depressed is paap. Joy is your true nature. Whatever takes you away from that, whatever turns you into a masochist or a sadist, whatever makes you feel sorrow for yourself or for others is paap.

Content: Q. In spiritual matters, should we worry about others' opinions or not?

Content: As long as we are not a nuisance to anyone else, as long as we don't interfere with the functioning of their lives, there is no need to bother about others' opinions.

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Content: Q. Why do those who claim to be enlightened set up establishments?

Content: At one time, this path was meant to be traveled alone. Today, I feel it is my responsibility to spread the joys and benefits to all. Of course you may say, this is not true spirituality. All I can tell you, from my deepest personal experience, is that as Vivekananda says, true spirituality is not just to get Enlightenment, but to spread the benefits of Enlightenment to all. That's what I took this birth for! For that whatever is necessary - including an establishment - I need to maintain. Do you follow me?

Content: Q. Is the spiritual tradition still relevant in our time?

Content: It is relevant in all times. Where would our country be today without the spiritual tradition? For centuries, they have been the protectors of our entire culture - from Sanskrit and scriptures, to

Content: bharatnatyam and kalaachara, to ayurveda and siddha, to religion to spirituality, it is the legacy protected by a handful of these people!

Content: As the Bhagavatha says, the very existence of the earth is thanks to the enlightened masters. They have protected these sciences and arts by pouring their lives into it. Almost everything that civilization possesses today, all that you enjoy in the name of culture, is their gift. Even in our century, they are responsible for preserving the learning in an untainted form, maintaining the continuity. That is equally important.

Content: Q. But because of a few wrongdoers in saffron robes, their name has been tainted...

Content: Ha ha ha! OK, let me ask you a question. When Harshad Mehta – you remember the Mumbai scam? – when Harshad Mehta cheated the country of millions, he was wearing pants and shirt. Does that

Content: mean that everyone wearing pants and shirt is a Harshad Mehta? And if you think so, is that the fault of those who wear pants and shirt, or a fault in your perception? There have been cases where thousands of false doctors have been arrested for defrauding the public. So now do you look at every doctor with suspicion? Have you stopped going to the doctor? COME OUT! Forget the old arguments. These are just escape routes. The spiritual masters don't lose anything because of your ignorance. If you miss me, you lose me, that's all.

Content: In every field there will be frauds. Use your intelligence, check out and choose properly, instead of denouncing the whole community as frauds. Because of this misconception, even the genuine masters are not recognized. See now how much of clearing work I have to do – sorting out your false concepts, working past your prejudices, giving proofs, etc., etc. I have to establish my credentials first, before I can get to the point and give you the new religion, which is spirituality. It is a gradual change, but it must happen. Our social concepts

Content: about spiritual figures have to change. Otherwise the masters will be forced to turn their attention to countries where people are ready to receive their message with an open mind. That will mark the decline of Indian society.

Content: See, you are journalists. You are going to carry this message to society. Before you do that, I want you to be very very clear about what I'm saying. I want to know whether you yourself are convinced about what I say. If not, question it. Please question it.

Content: Only thing, keep an open mind. Don't come with your prejudices and foregone conclusions.

Content: OK, so are you convinced?

Content: Q. [One journalist] No, I am not. I once surrendered to a guru but it didn't work out...

Content: Did you really surrender?

Content: Journalist: Well, I tried my best to practise surrender.

Content: One thing you need to understand. When you say you try to practise, it means surrender has not happened. If surrender had truly happened, this question, this doubt would not be there. It’s only a way to hide confusion and hypocrisy.

Content: We all happily keep some beautiful idea of religion in our minds, but carry on our practical life in any which way we please. Religion is something you have to tune your whole life to.

Content: The truth is, whatever life you are leading, that is your true religion. It may be money, it may be power, it may be sex. That is your religion, that’s why you are living your whole life according to that ideology!

Content: Do you understand? Try and find out just what your religion actually is. To keep your ideology and your life separate is hypocrisy. Whatever you call your religion, you must be willing to practise it completely in your life.

Content: Q. Journalist: But I had strong belief in this particular guru's ideology. Still...

Content: See I told you, religion is not that which remains a belief, it should turn into your very life. To keep religion and life separate is a kind of schizophrenia. Hypocrisy takes over our being. If you believe that a certain way of life or a certain ideology is right, you should be willing to transform your whole life in that way. Else, search for whatever you feel is the truth. Something that does not change your life cannot be the truth to you. If something is the real truth, a mere touch itself can transform your life. If it doesn't transform you from within, let go of it. Don't hold on and complain. That ideology was not the right one for you, that's all.

Content: Q. Upto the 1970s many spiritual institutions were doing excellent service in maintaining the places of culture and

Content: religion, temples, sacred books, etc. But this has declined. Is it due to external interference or what?

Content: Again, since agnosticism has taken hold of society, the people who come for this service has drastically decreased. Instead of removing the flaws in the system, the whole system itself has been destroyed. It is a sad thing ultimately for society itself, it doesn’t realise that.

Content: Try to understand the reality of whatever I am saying. Whether you use these ideas in this article or not, try and follow it in your own life. Use your pen to spread these idea to the public. It is your privilege and your duty.

Content: Q. We hear stories of many miracles performed by various masters, like predicting the future. How does this happen?

Content: Let me give you an example. Suppose you are

Content: standing at the side of a busy road. Look on either side of you. You can see the movement of traffic for say 200 metres.

Content: Now suppose you climb onto the terrace of a nearby house. Can't you see the movement of traffic for a much further distance?

Content: In the same way, the ordinary mind can perceive the past and future only in a very limited way. The elevated consciousness (that comes after enlightenment) can see infinitely further into both past and future. It is a simple thing. The truth is always simple. Only thing, the ordinary limited mind can't comprehend thee things so it looks like a miracle to you. Gyanis and gyanshakti don't have any limitations of time and space. That's how so many of my patients get healed in the USA and other countries which I have never visited. All over the world, people who have never seen me before see visions of me in their meditation.

Content: Q. Why do enlightened masters also promote rituals?

Content: The misery of man is that when great truths are presented in a simple manner, people refuse to accept. They can only understand complicated rituals. Because the mind is complicated, and it loves complicated things.

Content: If I ask people to do half an hour of meditation, just sitting silently, they cannot do it. But if I ask someone to do 108 pradakshina (circumambulation) of a certain temple, they will do it happily. Because doing complicated things gives much ego-satisfaction.

Content: But enlightened masters are not concerned with the methods, they are only concerned with results. While you are busy doing rituals, your mind is engaged in that. At that time, your inner being is left open to me, and I can give you whatever I have to offer. It is a subtle technique. The mind that questions, the mind that resists is kept engaged in some other activity. Then my actual message is allowed to sink into you. At least in this way if I can get through

Content: to the maximum people, if I can benefit them, then so be it!

Content: To enter into meditation for its own sake requires a very mature mind. It requires an elevation in the maturity level of society as a whole. But it is happening. Slowly but surely, around the world, a subtle change is happening.

Content: OK, I think we are running out of time. Last question?

Content: Q. Is meditation a practical alternative for today’s generation?

Content: Of course. Especially in today’s society, when stress is too much, family relationships are failing, meditation can make a tremendous difference. And it doesn’t require too much of your time and effort.

Content: These days everybody is too busy to worry about spirituality, I understand! But keep aside at least half an hour every day for meditation – any meditation,

Content: not necessary you should follow the techniques I am giving. Follow whatever suits you best, whatever you feel tuned to. You will surely see the improvement not only in your own life, but also you can reach out to others and bring about a definite change in society. Thank you.

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Content: OFFERINGS FROM DHYANAPIEEETAM

Content: List of Titles

Content: The Formless in Form

Content: A pictorial biography of Swamiji

Content: The Gossip Of Nithyananda

Content: A collection of Swamiji's most memorable quotes

Content: A Small Story...

Content: Swamiji's best-loved parables

Content: The Many Moods of Swamiji

Content: Swamiji captured on camera

Content: From Pain to Bliss

Content: Insights from Swamiji

Content: From Worrying to Wondering

Content: Insights from Swamiji

Content: Question + Swamiji + Answer!

Content: Your questions answered

Content: The Simple Truth, Straightaway!

Content: A public address by Swamiji

Content: Is Spirituality relevant in our time?

Content: A frank talk with the press

Content: Om Mani Padme Hum

Content: 27 ways to approach the Master

Content: Discovering Love

Content: Insights from Swamiji

Content: Open the door... let the breeze in!

Content: Swamiji's guide to simple living & high thinking

Content: Ananda Healing : Your shortcut to God!

Content: An introduction to healing initiation

Content: A Garland of Memories

Content: Devotees' reminiscences of time spent with Swamiji

Content: Voices of Gratitude

Content: Testimonials about healing miracles

Content: Nithyasmaram

Content: A printed collection of devotional songs

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Content: 36

Content: Nithyanandapuri, Mysore Road, Bidadi

Content: Bangalore District, Karnataka, INDIA.

Content: Ashram : 91-80-7270181 Secretary: 37803444

Content: City Centre: 91-80-56691844, 56703444

Content: email: [email protected]

Content: www.dhyanapeetam.org www.swamisworld.com

Content: Ebook ISBN: 979-8-88572-299-5