VBT – Week’s Meditation 45
The Spontaneousness
This incoming breath and outgoing breath are the life and death of the body, not of “me.” But “I” does not know anything other than the body; “I” is identified with the body. Then it will be difficult to be aware when the breath comes in, easy to be aware when the breath goes out. When the breath is going out, for that moment you have become old, dying, emptied completely of the breath; you are dead for a moment.
IN THE “HH,” EFFORTLESSLY, THE SPONTANEITY. Try it! Any moment you can try it. Just riding in a bus or travelling in a train or moving to the office, whenever you have time to intone a sound like “Allah” – any sound ending with “AH.” This “Allah” helped so much in Islam – not because of any Allah there in the sky, but because of this “AH.” This word is beautiful. And then the more one goes on using this word “Allah, Allah…” it becomes reduced. Then what remains is “Lah, Lah…” Then it is reduced further; then it remains as “Ah, Ah…” It is good, but you can use any word that ends in “AH” – or just “AH” will do.
Have you observed that whenever you are tense you will sigh – “AH” – and you will feel relaxed. Or whenever you are in joy, overjoyed, you say “AH,” and the whole breath is thrown out and you feel within a tranquility that you have never felt. Try this: when you are feeling very good, take the breath in and then see what you feel. You cannot feel that well-being that comes with “AH.” It is coming because of the breath.
So languages differ, but these two things never differ. All over the world, whenever someone feels tired he will say “AH.” Really, he is calling for death to come and relax him. Whenever one feels overjoyed, blissful, he says “AH.” He is so overfilled with joy that he is not afraid of death now. He can relieve himself completely, relax completely.
And what will happen if you go on trying it, trying it? You will become fully aware of something within you – the spontaneousness of your being; of SAHAJ of being spontaneous. That you are already, but you are too much engaged with life, too much occupied with life. You cannot become aware of the being which is behind.
When you are not occupied with life, with the incoming breath, the being behind is revealed; there is a glimpse. But the glimpse will become, by and by, a realisation. And once it is known you cannot forget it – and this is not something which you are creating. That is why it is spontaneous: it is not something you are creating. It is there, you have simply forgotten. It is a remembrance! It is a rediscovery!
Try to see children, very small children, taking their breaths. They take them in a different way. Look at a child sleeping. His belly comes up and down, not the chest. If you are sleeping and you are being observed, your chest comes up and down; your breath never goes down to the belly. The breath can go down to the belly only if you exhale and do not inhale. If you inhale and do not exhale, the breath cannot go down to the belly. The reason why breath goes to the belly is that when one exhales, the whole breath is thrown out and then the BODY takes it in. And the body takes only that amount which is needed – never more, never less.
Whatsoever is wrong is always associated with the emphasis that is given to the incoming breath and whatsoever is good, virtuous, beautiful, true, is always associated with exhaling. Whenever you are speaking a lie, you will hold your breath in. Whenever you speak the truth, you never hold your breath. You fear that “I am speaking a lie,” so you hold your breath. You are afraid something may go out with it – the out-moving breath. Your hidden truth may be revealed, so you are afraid.
Go on trying this “AH” more and more. You will be more healthy in body, more healthy in mind, and a different quality of calm, at-easeness, tranquillity will develop.
Tags: The Spontaneousness