From ‘Where are you going? A guide to the spiritual journey’ by Swami Muktananda

The poet Bhartrihari wrote:

I thought I was enjoying sense pleasures;

I did not realize they were enjoying me.

I thought I was spending my time;

I did not realize it was spending me.

….a saying: “What is day for a crow is night for an owl.”

Once your house is on fire, what is the use of digging a well? …..the poet Bhartrihari wrote, “As long as your body is healthy and strong, as long as your senses still function, do something for yourself.” Why wait? Contemplate the Self and attain it now. Know that life is very short. You were not born into this world just to eat and drink and die.

…..once the Kundalini has been awakened, a seeker does not have to perform strenuous spiritual practices. The Shakti Herself gives every individual the experiences that are necessary for him.

All the classical yogas take place spontaneously in a seeker whose Kundalini is awakened. …..yogic postures, locks, and breathing techniques may occur spontaneously during meditation. Sometimes the body may shake and sway. ….The specific postures and movements that occur in an individual are precisely the ones he needs for the purification of the system…. When we practice hatha yoga on our own, we often do not know which exercises our body actually needs, and so we may practice postures that are unnecessary or even harmful to us.

……Kena Upanishad, there is a statement ……. “That which is not thought by the mind but by which the mind thinks – know that as the Absolute.”

The most important factor in any meditation posture is that the back be kept straight, because when the spine is straight, the mind naturally becomes centered in the heart.

Set aside a place for meditation – a room or a corner of a room – and purify it by chanting the mantra. Try not to let anything happen that will disturb its atmosphere. In the place where you meditate regularly, the vibrations of the meditation will gather, and after a while it will become very easy to meditate there. For the same reason, you should set aside special clothes and a mat for meditation. Do not wash them often, because the Shakti will accumulate in them and make it easy for you to meditate.

If possible, meditate at the same time every day. The early hours of the morning, between three and six o’clock, are best, but you can meditate at any time that is convenient. If you become accustomed to meditating at a certain hour, your body will develop the habit of meditation.

You should meditate according to the capacity of your physical body. If you meditate too much, your head will become too hot. One who meditates has to eat nourishing foods. In our kitchen we use cashew nuts, clarified butter, pistachios, raisins and othe foods that give us strength.

In the marrow of the bones is a radiant yellow fluid called ojas. It is created from sexual fluid, and it imparts strength and the power of memory. If you meditate a great deal but do not provide your body with rich food, the fire of meditation will begin to consume that ojas, and then you will become tired and dull, and you will lose your enthusiasm ….If you want to meditate for long periods, you should not only eat rich food, but also be celibate and conserve your sexual fluid.

You can meditate twice a day, one hour in the morning and one hour in the evening, provided that you drink milk and eat sweet foods, such as fruit. …..

……….realized beings…….. Janaka was a great king who had seven hundred queens, but his disciple Shuka was a renunciant who was always naked. Although Hanuman attained the same knowledge as Janaka and Shuka, he remained a servant. Vasishtha expounded meditation, but he himself was always engaged in performing rituals.

Bhartrihari said that it is very difficult to understand the ways of great beings. Some act like saints, others like madmen and others like ghosts. Some remain naked, using the earth as bed. Others live like kings, surrounded by wealth and luxury. Some are completely serene and never speak. Others go around swearing. Some are very active. Others lie like pythons and never move. But no matter how they behave, all of these Siddhas have attained the same state of inner perfection.