70. Universal space of unity and synthesis
Sathya Sai Baba showed the importance of joint practice because the true fruits of a person’s spiritual development are manifested precisely in the ability to harmoniously interact in society.
It is not so important how deep the mystical experiences are that you get during meditation. What is important is what spiritual state you are in after meditation and how you build relationships with other people in your life. What you do and how you feel after practicing meditation shows how deep your meditation practice has been.
Sometimes those who regularly practice Meditation and Mantras can enter into deep states and experience sublime mystical experiences, but at the same time they are not able to build relationships with people around them. An important indicator of the depth of practice is not only what happens during meditation, but also what happens after meditation.
The practice of a mantra can take place on several levels. One of the variants of practice is to say the mantra out loud. You do not need to be a professional musician or singer to practice mantras, but in order to properly practice mantras, you need to get into the rhythm.
Mantras can be chanted quite well by anyone who practices regularly. Gradually, the voice becomes more confident and stronger. When the mantra is pronounced aloud, then there is a physical vibration that affects the nervous system and brain cells, as well as cleanses the surrounding space.
The word has tremendous power. One of the greatest mistakes is to neglect or underestimate the power of the word. Everything we say is already a mantra. It is clear that sometimes we say something in jest. However, you need to be careful, because the word has power, so even a jokingly spoken word still manifests itself as an energy vibration.
There is a famous phrase in the ancient Vedic medicine, Ayurveda: «whatever you eat is a medicine.» Everything we eat and drink – clean water, good food – all of this is medicine. It would be strange to first consume low-quality products and then take medicine in order to improve health.
In the same way, whatever you say is a mantra. It would be foolish to practice the great mantras for an hour and then go swear and gossip for the rest of the day.
Once in an interview, Sathya Sai Baba was asked to bless those present and teach the practice of a special mantra. He looked at everyone with a smile and said: “Remember that every spoken word is a mantra and every action performed is worship of the Lord.”