Mark’s words about inward-facing meditation and the image of gold stayed with me.
When I sustain my morning meditation practice, I feel more rooted in the experience of my inner Self. As the day unfolds, it becomes easier to remember who I truly am without needing to prove my worth through what I do or becoming caught in the praise or indifference of others.
From that remembrance, my way of seeing other people becomes clearer. I can move through the layers that often cloud an interaction and appreciate more fully that we are all gold shaped into different forms.
Buenos Aires, Argentina
Many years ago, when I lived in New York City, there was a homeless man I would pass on my way home. Seeing his situation and state, I was moved to help beyond giving him money, but I didn’t know what to do. Each time I saw him, I experienced a wrestling match between narratives from parents, society, and my conscience as well as my own feelings of responsibility to this man as a fellow human being.
Then I participated in my first Siddha Yoga Shaktipat Intensive. Afterward, when I passed the man, our eyes would meet, and I could feel a sense of oneness with him that I had not been able to access before—a feeling that, in essence, we are the same. A spark, a light of recognition would pass between us. Love and respect for him arose in my heart.
I understood that I had needed to connect with my own Self before I could truly see him. And this, then, is my responsibility to him and to all humans—to recognize them and to welcome them with love.
Sydney, Australia
Since receiving shaktipat diksha, my meditations on my higher Self have become deeper and my experiences of the Self—seeing the divine light of the Self blazing bright in my Heart—has enabled me to see the Self in others as the bright light shining from their eyes.
It is truly sublime!
St. Laurent, Canada
After reading this teaching from Baba, what immediately arose in my mind was this: I may not be at a stage where I fully experience God within myself or in others, but I can confidently and wholeheartedly say that I believe this to be true.
I have noticed that I do not hold grudges against anyone—including myself—and that when things are not going well, I don’t remain stuck for long in situations that are not beneficial. Instead, I am able to step back and observe each situation and gently move on without attachment.
I feel that this shift has come through the consistent practice of being aware of the Truth, of mantra repetition, and of regular meditation. Deep within, I know that God exists everywhere and in everyone.
Pune, India
