The abhyasis of Sahaj Marg are doubly blessed for their being the abhyasis and for being in Sahaj Marg. The serious student of Sahaj Marg is a shining example of a man on the path of real freedom. Soon after one steps into the path of Sahaj Marg he begins to feel a fresh breeze of freedom and lightness. The effect of transmission makes all his thinking activities serve his real purpose which is nothing short of attaining perfect oneness with God, or the Ultimate Point.
The imposition of innumerable physical and moral disciplines has provoked endless criticism. This cleverly exploits the apparent dualism between discipline and freedom or universal love and secluded life and either never leaves one free to be disciplined, or always imposes some restriction or other upon one’s freedom. In the practice of Sahaj Marg this struggle is obviated by inducting a strong will and urge in the abhyasi to remain connected with that which is the Absolute or the Ultimate. Morality and moral living are not prescribed to create automatons but the abhyasi, finding the reflection of the Ultimate condition in the moral life, automatically adopts the same for himself.
The practice of meditation according to the method of Sahaj Marg is open to one and all regardless of colour, creed, sex or age etc. The abhyasi having taken up the practice of meditation tries to become regular in his practice. He associates particular timings of the day and particular posture of his body with his meditation and associates the meditation itself with worship and prayer. Thus he constantly endeavours’ to remain linked up with the Divinity within himself. He always tries to orient his thought towards that alone. This attitude of his, influences his living in such a way as to make it conducive for his spiritual progress.
After an abhyasi takes three or four sittings from his preceptor, he generally feels a sort of new life having been breathed into him. An imperceptible but a very strong centre is formed in the inner most core of his being. The tendencies of his mind are no longer haphazard and wayward forming innumerable knots and complications. On the contrarThe life of an abhyasi of Sahaj Marg is a rapidly evolving life. It took millions of years, as the western scientists tell us, for the evolution of human forms from the rudimentary unicellular forms of life on the face of the earth. In Sahaj Marg a higher power enters into the life of the abhyasi through transmission and accelerates his inner evolution. The abhyasi is as twice born: once from the womb of his earthly mother and next from the mental womb of his spiritual mother, the Guru. The life-force in the abhyasi, is no longer a half-blind, instinctive and groping entity. The nature of his consciousness, too, is revolutionized. He is no longer a limited being of waking consciousness. He lives and works in all the different states of waking, sleep, semi-sleep etc. His inner activity grows a thousand times stronger. His consciousness is no longer bound to the physical plane only. Due to the transmission of the ultimate consciousness in him, he starts taking work from different degrees of super and superfine consciousness. His work includes both knowing and working. The knowledge of spiritual states in himself comes to him effortlessly because of transmission. He gradually learns to distinguish between the knowledge about the things and the state of knowledge itself. Further on, his knowledge turns into direct knowledge without any intermediate layers of perceptions, however transparent. Consequently he is rid of all anxieties and lower- vital motivations. The life is no more a burden to bear but a light and fast vehicle to reach the goal of human life.
Due to the special feature of the methods of Sahaj Marg, namely, the yogic transmission, the abhyasi is neither diverted nor enticed by the various spiritual experiences on the path. He is fully aware that the end of spirituality is the beginning of Reality. Therefore, he does not confuse the means with the end. He is fully convinced that his spiritual progress is in the safest hands and in the most competent hands too. The Master or guide is ever present for him. Just because of his utter dependence on the master who is none else than the absolute or the one who is at the goal or the centre, the abhyasi finds that his pride and vanity have vanished, and that his grossness and inner solidity have melted away. He begins to feel a new light having caught his attention and he is no longer able to concentrate upon his earlier silly fancies and desires. Nothing binds him anymore except the attracting power of Goal, namely God. An unconscious awareness of a Divine presence everywhere starts to automatically regulate the life of the abhyasi.
His constant remembrance of Master establishes a connection between himself and God. Since God has been conceived to be the Ultimate source of all, the abhyasi begins to find a sort of divine relationship or a connection between himself and all the rest of the world. Progressing further he finds that all men and women in the world are really his own brothers and sisters. His behavior with others is regulated by the connection of love. His life goes on becoming simpler and simpler to get in conformity with nature. The sufferings due to ideas of jealousy, vengeance, and hatred will no longer be there for him. His sorrows and miseries are God-sent blessings for him. His austerities and penances consist in facing and enduring the ills of his fellow-beings and not in body-torturing in forests. His wife, children, and other members of his family are for him the children of God given under his care to look after properly. He is no longer deluded by the bonds of flesh and blood. His relationship with the world is now in a new light.
The idea of his being the doer of works in the world gradually changes into finer and subtler forms for the abhyasi. He begins to feel that it is not he who is doing them. A great burden is taken away from him by substituting his Master for himself. This idea results in his losing the body-consciousness. Sometimes he even feels that his body is that of somebody else. He is wonderstruck. Progressing further, he loses the soul consciousness also. The actions, he finds, are just happening. He is stupefied and is now living in a state of wonder. All this happens due to his constant remembrance of the Master. His thought, word and deed, and everything else are no longer his own but the Divine power has completely taken charge of him. He is God-possessed and Godintoxicated. Nevertheless, the abhyasi of Sahaj Marg does not behave abnormally. He is quite a normal person for all practical purposes, but with a difference, whereas the ordinary person’s living is material and self-centred, the living of the abhyasi is spiritual and God-centred.
The abhyasi of Sahaj Marg does not believe that the life of a householder is not conducive to higher spiritual development. He aims at attaining the four-fold perfection of human life, of DharmaArtha-Kama-Moksha. Brahmacharya is a state of studentship to cultivate the virtues based upon the Divine light. It is living and moving in God. Earning money to maintain himself and his dependents and to help the society, through his legitimate profession is a must for him. To adopt the life of a beggar for his living in the name of God, is to shirk away from his duty and responsibility. By intensely desiring for God he attains the state of desirelessness. Kama leads him to Moksha.
The abhyasi of Sahaj Marg starts his practice with a kind of love for and trust in the Master. Soon after that, he begins to find that he is beginning to develop love towards the entire mankind and that his trust in the Master is growing stronger and stronger. His attachment or intimacy with the Master goes on increasing to such an extent that it is no longer necessary to use forced methods, and finally it takes its natural form of connection. This growth in the depth and intensity of his love of Master is simultaneously accompanied by a realization of universal love. He is now living in the field of true relationship with the entire creation. He is one with Him, who in turn is one with His creation. This is the state of oneness which the abhyasi of Sahaj Marg attains so easily.
The abhyasi gradually proceeds on to subtler and subtler states of oneness where he loses even the consciousness of his love of the Master. Ultimately this relationship of love turns into its Original condition where even the idea of love also fades out of the heart of the abhyasi. The oneness is now complete. Simplicity, calmness and purity are all left behind. He is now swimming in the Central region as depicted by Babuji in his book “Efficacy of Raja Yoga in the light of Sahaj Marg”.
The life of the abhyasi of Sahaj Marg is really a full life in both the worlds. He is neither an ascetic to deny the material comforts, nor an atheist to deny the spiritual beatitude. His fulfillment is had both here and hereafter. He is not a self-centred egoist to remain in an ivory tower. He knows his limitations fully well and has also got full faith in his connection with one who is free from all the limitations. Thus, aware of the all enveloping existence of the One Absolute, he never covets that which is due to others. He leads the full life of a full human being without allowing his heart to be tainted and blemished by desires and consequent bondages. One should only enter this field to have the real taste of such a glorious life.
Some times an abhyasi is ordered by the Master to work as the preceptor to help other abhyasis through the method of transmission as per Sahaj Marg. The life of the preceptor will be explained in a separate chapter. At present, it is enough if it is mentioned that he still goes on leading the life of an abhyasi even after taking up the duties of a preceptor. It is only as an abhyasi that a person can attain the highest condition possible for a human being in the realm of Divinity. The preceptorship and other divine works taken up at the instance of the Master are only in the interest of mankind in general, which incidentally may contribute to some extent to the experience of the abhyasi.