Taking the Sahaj Marg Spiritual Movement to the Next Level

Pranams everyone. 

These moments are quite overwhelming for me. Nevertheless, with my clear heart, I would try to share a few of my thoughts. Some of you might cherish them; most of you might not like them. Nevertheless, it is my duty to share them.

Almost three years back, after the announcement of the succession, I went to see my mother in Gujarat, after taking Master’s permission, and that happened to be my birthday as well. Some of the abhyasis from nearby centres and far centres like Bombay came to our hometown, and they brought gifts. Who doesn’t like gifts? I don’t! This is me. There were two abhyasis who had brought gifts. I asked one of them, “How much did you spend?” He said, “I spent…” and then he stopped. He could not speak. But I insisted, “If you want me to accept this, you will have to reveal the cost.” He said, “Sir, I spent two thousand eight hundred rupees” or something like that, I don’t remember the exact figure, and his friend who came also spent nearly the same amount. Another friend brought something that cost almost a lakh of rupees. I had to return it to him.

Then I very patiently, very lovingly, asked a question, “On a daily basis, how much money can you spend without your parents becoming aware of it?” The boy said, “I could spend five hundred rupees every day. My mother would never know I spent five hundred rupees.” Similarly, another person who was with him said, “I could spend three hundred rupees every day and my parents would never come to know it.

Why am I sharing all these things? Imagine, ten thousand abhyasis, on average, I remember bringing gifts to Master of various kinds. He had to sit to receive the whole bundle of gifts. Think about it. His almirahs are still packed with shirts and dhotis and towels. He preserved them. Many a times he would distribute them, empty the almirahs, but again they would get filled up. How many shirts can you wear, how many pants can you wear, and how many fixtures can you have on your shelves? How many watches can you wear? How many Montblonc pens and expensive stuff can you have? 

It would be wiser, it would be beneficial, and it would be the most efficient gift, instead of giving it to me personally to give it to the Mission. So you don’t have to wait also in the line and cry your hearts out, “I couldn’t see the old man.” Imagine, if only forty thousand abhyasis on a daily basis, save only fifty rupees a day! Can you calculate how much the contribution will be instead of wasting three hundred or five hundred rupees every day without parents coming to know of it?

There are some people I know in our Mission who can spend one lakh rupees [one hundred thousand] a day and nothing can go wrong with them. There are a few also who can spend fifty lakhs [five million rupees] a day and nothing can happen to them. There are also some abhyasis who live hand-to-mouth, who have to work daily for their next meal. We have quite a wide spectrum of abhyasis from various ecnomic statuses. Between that crore [ten million] and nothing, if we take an average and consider a contribution of only fifty rupees a day from forty thousand abhyasis, we can collect more than seventy crore rupees [seven hundred million] a year! Think about this, please.

We have so many projects coming up. We need your help. Our Masters never made these announcements. That is why I said that most of you may not like it. I am rquesting you, please don’t give me those gifts. Give it to our Mission. The Mission needs your hands, the Mission needs your finance, and the Mission needs your support. What am I going to do with all that?

I will give you one example. The Collectorate and the District Education Officer of the district of Ongole in Andhra Pradesh permitted six thousand teachers to be trained under our heartfulness programme – to take up our method, learn it and spread it in their schools. Can you imagine its echoing effect, resonating effect, later on? This is just one district. How to train six thousand teachers?

Most government places don’t have facilities big enough to accommodate six thousand teachers – not even five hundred teachers who can be in one place, under one roof – who can be there for three days and three nights. But we have an ashram in Ongole. We can create infrastructure. We can have a thousand teachers coming every week for training from nearby districts also. So likewise, in every state, starting with twenty states; we can have twenty such facilities to accommodate five hundred participants in such programmes. Calculate the money. We will need more than two hundred crores to start with!

The Hierarchy has given us the permission to do even greater things. For example, in one go, all throughout India, we can give sittings to whoever is interested, on three consecutive days. What can be the medium for this? How to reach out to the citizens of India, to willing participants of the Heartfulness programme? We have to go the way of TV, and it costs money to have our own TV channel.

Then there are radio programmes. Perhaps some of you are aware of ‘Radio City’. They have invited us so that in Bombay between six and seven o’clock in the morning our relaxation programme will be conducted. Fortunately, partnering with them does not cost us any money, but so many facilitators are travelling day in and day out. I would say, more than a thousand facilitators are constantly travelling these days using their personal money from their own pockets. How long will this go on, I don’t know. We need to finance their expenses also

We have to take this movement to the next level. If we have to, we will require a huge sum of money. If you have the heart for it, if you are in agreement and your heart 4 says, “Yes, let’s do it”, you are most welcome. If your heart says not to do it, if you don’t feel like participating in it, so be it. I respect your opinion; I respect your heart’s voice. But this will have to go on with or without money. We will have to find other ways and means to do it. Maybe it will extend our time.

Another big project that is on the way is the ashram at Kanha in Hyderabad. Many things are happening all over. 

There is another cultural change I would like to bring about. Revered Master accepted all these things, but he was not happy with them. He had to sit down sometimes and accept cheques, accept money, cash donations, write receipts for fifty rupees or a hundred rupees sometimes. He would sit in the cottage and make people come one by one. He would not hesitate to sell T-shirts so that it would bring some income. He would not hesitate to sign books also.

He would even entertain people. “Oh, sir, my grandson’s birthday.” Fine – along with it came some donations also. But now, entertaining such requests like birthday celebrations of children – children don’t understand. The parents say, “Sir, we need blessings.” Blessings are not transferred like that; we know that very well. They don’t move on someone else’s request. It has to come from the same person’s heart, and it doesn’t come because you give the cheque. Your heart must cry out for that spiritual blessing; there is no point in asking for material blessings. Our Masters are not for that. You will only delay your process of evolution.

So, not accepting birthday cheques, birthday gifts and birthday tokens from you dear ones has reduced our inflow of donations in some way. Sometimes people will say at the door, “Kamlesh bhai, someone has brought a cheque for so much of money.” I am in the middle of doing something, and I have to stop doing it to accept that cheque. I say, “Why couldn’t he go to the accounts department and donate the cheque?” Ever since I started doing that, the inflow has also reduced.

You tell me what to do, how to solve this problem. It needs greater understanding in our membership, about your role, Master’s role and the organisation’s role. When we belong to a certain organisation, it must become ‘my organisation.’ And when ‘mineness’ is there then everything will get resolved on its own. Please don’t insist, “I should hand it over in person,” “I should greet him in person,” “I must meet him in person to receive his blessings.” No, it doesn’t work like that.

There is no point making lines. Sometimes, when people stood in line to give donations to Master at the gate, people would watch them: “Oh, he is going to give a donation, so the volunteers are allowing him.” You see how it reflects on the Mission’s image later on? If you give a donation, then you will get a chance to get in. It speaks very badly about our organisation. Do you want such an image to perpetuate? And such people will bring half a dozen people around them who are also from a similar social background. Then the image becomes so tarnished that people think that this Mission is only for a certain group of individuals. 

So we are not serving the Mission by doing such a thing. Even if you are giving a donation, you are hurting the Mission and its image. It is better not to give it. If you have such a heart, please don’t give, but if you have a lovely heart, give quietly. 

What else can I share with you? These are painful things, and I do not enjoy sharing them, but it must be spoken about so that we all understand each other very well.

Thank you all.