DAM
Breath occupies an important place in meditation as He has given it to us. They are the pearls of “mairfatâ€. They should not be wasted unnecessarily. Draw your breath out with the force of your whole body and draw it in again completely. Enjoy meditating within yourself. Grasp the name of God as firmly as a creeper around a tree trunk, so that you cannot untangle yourself from it. When you can deal with pearls, why do anything else. Only those who really feel it in their heart can do this business. The ordinary person is only interested in worldly affairs, but once your heart is touched you will forget the attractions of the world. Those who have forgotten the image of their guru cannot succeed on this path. Try and love your meditating breath so that each breath is fully utilised.
You can carry on meditating all the time, whether you are doing your daily chores, or working for your living, or going about your business, or having your meals. The only thing I ask of you is to be immersed in yourself and keep your thoughts for Him.
Nobody else can give you these precious pearls so don’t waste them. You are lucky that you have them to keep you alive.
Let bygones be bygones. Think of the time that is left and make the most of your possessions. Breath is the most precious thing and is being expended in futile tasks all the time so don’t waste it. Only a few people have used them fruitfully. Only those breaths that are accompanied by His name have been fully utilized. Not every one is aware of that. The people who realized that are sad even if one breath during the night goes empty. These may be our last days, so make every effort to use every breath. Once your life is over, you would regret that you did not try harder. It would be no good to realize the value after the sunset of life.
Do not be an utter waster as you are throwing away all the precious moments in your life which could easily be accompanied by His memory .Who is called a spendthrift? A person who squanders his wealth is called a spendthrift. You are squandering your living breath without the name of God in it. An esteemed sage would not exchange one breath of his for the riches of this world. Each breath of his contains the name of God .The riches of these two worlds do not compare with HIM. This realization only comes to those who recognize this point. Hence, they will not be prepared to waste one breath.
The realization must come now, or it will be too late after you have lost your breath. Keep thinking of this aim all the twenty-four hours, even though you may not succeed in your effort. You must not leave any stone unturned in this path. Your outward effort will motivate you within. The responsibility is upon you to remember Him. When you have His love and support, you cannot but make an effort to forge forward. If you try, he will support you whole-heartedly. Try and be attached to His name and never give up. This is a “ramzabaziâ€. Be strong. Strength of mind is another word for effort. God has given you the power to make an effort, so do not procrastinate. This whole world is like a thought process, in which are contained people with different ideas. The transient ideas also change with time, circumstances and drink. But you must stick valiantly to His name, come what may. It is a gift of God bestowed upon you. Drink of this nectar with devotion. Do not only get submerged in providing your physical needs. Be strong like a ‘man.’ (This is not a reference to gender, but to a person of strength and fortitude) Let His name convert you into gold as “paras†does when base metal comes in contact with it. We will have to leave all our wealth, jewels, riches and palaces behind when His call comes and the only thing we will be able to take with us is this effort that we are able to make. Then alone will you be able to see the truth. If you don’t make an effort, you will be considered weak and useless. In the worldly affairs, when you want to do something, you work at it and finish the job. In the same way you have to work towards achieving God. At each moment, during each breath, in each thought you should be conscious of His presence within you. In everything you do, keep the awareness alive. This is your main aim in life. Life is but momentary. So be brave and prepare yourself to meet the Almighty. He is the Truth and the ultimate goal. If you would only try to please Him, He will help you in every walk of life.
You had written that whatever will be will be, and making all this effort is futile. This is not true. Depending on fate is not a manly trait, men are supposed to work hard, but unfortunately not all men behave like men metaphorically, nor all women like women. It is His will that you should make the most of every breath given to you, so stop being weak and effeminate and make an effort towards “naamâ€. The person who tells you otherwise is not your friend but a foe. To make an effort is a blessing in itself. Without effort there is no work, and without work on this path you are like an unemployed person. One becomes fearless as one forgets the onset of death and then there is no desire to move on and make an effort. Effort serves as a reminder too. Be like a man and not like a woman. The dye is ready and He can transform women into men and animals into humans, but only if you make an effort. You must remember Him at every step because eventually you are answerable to Him. Do not leave today’s work for tomorrow. Keep adding a new thread in the spinning wheel. Allow your breath to achieve excellence. You will only pass your exam when your breath becomes almost perfect in His memory. This breath is like a legacy, and children who do not recognize their legacy are not much good. Keep trying and if you win, it’ll be great but if you don’t succeed, it won’t be for lack of trying. I keep reminding you of it every now and then, which others do not. Along with naam, keep His image in your mind. All this advice is for your own good. After all one advises only those one cares for. Try never to forget. Try to be beautiful in front of the GREAT one. If you believe what your Murshid has told you, then you can achieve excellence. You will get to understand that as you do more and more meditation. As you gradually increase the length of your meditation your power of concentration will increase and “dam†will settle in your body and your bones will join in the prayer. Immerse yourself completely in naam. Do it with every breath and if you forget, then remind yourself.
Do not be too friendly with people who only talk big, befriend those who live as they preach. Even then do not waste your breath in idle gossip; it’s best to maintain silence. The less you talk the more you can concentrate on naam. Silence also should be in the name of God. Do not waste your energy in going here and there or getting involved in unnecessary activity. Do not be too interested in roaming about either. Each thoughtless step is a distraction from your main aim in life. If you can stay with naam, it’ll take you across both the worlds easily. Through silence you will refresh your mind everyday. Do not pay too much attention to what is going around you. Be selfishly deaf. You are only human if you use your breath properly otherwise you are something else.
Learn to keep your inner feelings within yourself. If you see any spiritual dreams do not talk about them openly. This way the effect of such thought processes will be deeper on you and will enrich you. Do not tell the general public, as they will not understand. You are bound to dream a lot if you practice your naam a lot. By talking about these dreams, you might become proud and vain, as if you are showing off. It is between you and Him. He knows it all and He knows what is going on around you. Certain things should be left unsaid, as they might not be suitable in front of those who are gathered. At the same time, certain things will make Him happy. But the main thing is that you should remember Him, otherwise you will regret it later. Outwardly cleanliness is not enough, you have to have a clean and pure mind. Forget your past habits and adopt the silence required for concentration. Do not keep maligning others, try to suffer the wrong doings of others patiently and see how all your problems in the world He will solve. It is difficult to suffer, but those who are prepared to do so will eventually benefit from it. Even the beast of burden is better than the lazy one, so keep carrying the burden being imposed upon you by others. Do you agree with me?
When you see Him, all your sins will be washed away. A person who is always taking breaths in His memory is always with Him. It is said that angels (malayaka) are sitting on each shoulder of a human being-one is keeping a count of his bad deeds and the other of his good deeds. When a person is using his breath with naam, then God orders the angel of good deeds not to make a note of them as they are beyond his power and that God Himself will write them down. That is why you are advised that when you remember utilize even one breath, as each one counts.
I do not listen to any songs, as I am deaf. Moreover, you are wasting your breath by distracting yourself with music. By listening to music you are only giving up your spiritual thoughts. By talking to others you are imparting your thoughts to others. Do not waste your breath by engaging in unnecessary conversation. One has to keep trying. At least make a start, though the destination seems a long way off.
It is said in the holy book that, by all means eat and drink but do not waste anything. According to the interpretations of the maulwis (Muslim priests) you should eat foodstuff and fruit, drink water and do not squander money. But in truth it means that you should control your ego, imbibe the nectar of solitude and do not waste your breath.
Those who understand the meaning of nothingness become a part of it. There are a lot of pearls in nothingness, even more than the great king Sikander had. Even the sea disappears into nothingness, as it is unfathomable. Nothingness means that you forget yourself and become one with Him. These breaths that rise from within you are the pearls of oneness so do not waste them. You will only realize your negligence when you will have none left. All great people have sung praises of this very same breath. Keep your breath really alive with the image of God. This breath will help you to become one with God.
Every breath should bring new memory of Him. You seem to forget the real thing and get involved in your daily chores. As I have said before, even while performing these tasks, you should not forget Him, as all other tasks are transient. The only intransient thing is His memory and thought. A person without any work is not welcome even at home. The saints and dervishes talk of God and you people talk about your ailments. You have allowed the worldly affairs to dominate over godly thoughts. Remember Him in every breath and stop making excuses for your laziness otherwise you’ll regret it later.
Remember that this task of meditation is like working with pearls. The night- time is like an ocean. You can find these pearls during that ocean of darkness. Between sunset and sunrise you should not waste even one breath. The clock is ticking away and the end of life is nigh. Do be aware of that and keep on meditating. We only need His recognition and hope that He recognizes us. We should only be interested in Him and not in the worldly affairs and attractions. Let those who want this world, have it. Do not associate with those who do not have any love of attaining God. People who have no knowledge of the duty of breath, are not worth befriending. There is no need to cry on their shoulder. Forget about them and do not waste your energy over them. Your breath is like a little bird without any feet, any wings, or any beak, but it feeds on pearls.