An evening with Dr Kamlesh Patel
On Friday, November 24, we had an insightful session by Dr Kamlesh Patel. The topic was INFLUENCE POSITIVELY-MEDITATION FOR TRANSFORMATIONAL LEADERSHIP.
About Dr Kamlesh Patel
Dr Kamlesh Patel, also known as Daaji, is a global spiritual leader, who is considered as "The Silent Changemaker." Through Heartfulness Meditation, he has quietly transformed the lives of millions, fostering inner peace and collective well-being. Daaji's impact has been phenomenal. His initiatives include: the world's largest meditation centre, the Heartfulness App for accessible meditation, and environmental projects like "Forests By Heartfulness." Committed to holistic education, Dr Patel leads the Heartfulness Education Trust, shaping a generation for a balanced, compassionate future.
About Heartfulness Meditation
At its core, life operates on a simple principle: our individual disposition naturally shapes the world around us. Embracing positivity requires a pragmatic approach that leads to positive transformation from within. Heartfulness Meditation is a scientifically proven and potent method for cultivating a positive mindset. This practice goes beyond philosophy. It is a journey toward personal empowerment and inner harmony.
On Meditation
Meditation is not merely about focusing the mind. It is about transcending the mind. When we are meditating, we should not be aware of our mind. During the session, Dr Patel demonstrated how meditation can be practised. He also explained how to get good sleep at night.
Daaji’s organization is strong and widespread, with a global reach. So at any point of time, a volunteer is available online to guide anyone who wants to practise meditation or cannot sleep. Dr Patel extended an open invitation to all the attendees to visit the Heartfulness institute and spend three days and understand how to do meditation.
On becoming wise leaders
We do not become wise leaders overnight. It is a journey. We must transform ourselves to become stronger. Transformation means going from weakness to strength. We must let go of our old state. But we tend to resist the change and stay within our comfort zone. Others add to the confusion in our mind with their advice. Our petty desires and ego also stand in the way. We must allow our ego/petty desires to subside. We must forget our prejudices at least for a while.
Being wise means the ability to differentiate between right and wrong actions. We all know about Lord Krishna’s famous dialogue with Arjuna. But before the Mahabharata war, Krishna also talked to Duryodhana and told him that what he was doing was Adharma and he should follow the path of Dharma. This is how Duryodhana responded:
दुर्योधन उवाच ।जानामि धर्मं न च मे प्रवृत्ति-
र्जानामि पापं न च मे निवृत्तिः ।
केनापि देवेन हृदि स्थितेन यथा नियुक्तोऽस्मि तथा करोमि ॥ ५७॥
“I know what is right, I know that what I am doing is wrong. I just feel like doing it. I know I am like that, but I can’t stop myself from doing it. I act as I am directed to by some mysterious power that is seated in my heart”. This is the case with most of us today.
Listening to our heart
We tend to be more analytical. We tend to listen to the mind but not the heart. The heart warns us if we are about to do something wrong. But we don’t listen to the heart. In contrast, when we are about to do something right, the heart remains quiet. We must learn to pick up the signals coming from our heart.
Pursuing right actions
If we go to the root of the problem, we can come up with very effective solutions. For example, how do we achieve the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals? What problems should we solve so that we can solve all the problems at the same time? Greed is the root cause of all our problems. For example, if we can control greed, we can eliminate land, air and water pollution and indiscriminate deforestation.
When it comes to human beings, how do we persuade them to act in the right way? Thought pollution is the root cause of our problems.
When we act, we should be aware of the consequences. For that we should have a clear mind.
- Actions are the result of our thoughts.
- Thoughts are the result of our attitude.
- Attitude is the result of our samskaras.
Samskaras are the impressions and dispositions that develop and accumulate deep within us. They result from perception, inference, choices, preparation, practice, interaction with others, thoughts, intent, and wilful actions. We must finetune our samskaras.
At the root of any improvement lies planning. Pausing and reflecting and considering the consequences of our actions, before doing something, reduces trouble.
We should continuously rejuvenate ourselves. We are often unconscious of the baggage we are carrying. Just like we get used to the perfume we apply, we get used to the baggage we carry.
Yoga (stilling the mind through meditation) should be our way of life. Yoga helps to focus our mind. But mediation alone is not enough. Our intentions must be pure. Otherwise, even mediation can destroy us. Consider Ravana. With all his yogic powers, he went on a path of self-destruction.
Q&A
When we were born, we were in the purest state. But there has been considerable degradation since then. In the beginning, the soul was without samskaras. But it had an individuality. This led to ego and separation from divinity. The result is higher entropy: higher disorder, disintegration, destabilization, and destruction.
To bring back order, energy is required. Consider a room in disarray. Someone has to clean the room, be it the spouse, the mother or the maid servant. The room will not become clean on its own.
Maintaining order requires hard work. Lord Krishna has mentioned that he cannot rest for even a minute. Otherwise, the world will degenerate into chaos and collapse.
We have not paid enough attention to the disintegration of our thoughts and the regulation of our actions to maintain simplicity, purity, and naturalness. Even a little bit of attention and effort in this regard can change things. We are so selfish that we have forgotten our creator, Lord Brahma.
Every being without exception seeks happiness.
Lord Krishna has mentioned in the Gita:
nasti buddhir ayuktasya
na cayuktasya bhavana
na cabhavayatah santir
asantasya kutah sukham
One who is not in transcendental consciousness can have neither a controlled mind nor steady intelligence, without which there is no possibility of peace. And how can there be any happiness without peace?
- Peace is not possible without harmony.
- Harmony is not possible without a contemplative focused mind.
- Focused mind is not possible without contemplative meditation.
Thus, meditation has an important role to play. We should start the day with meditation. if husband and wife meditate together, think of the energy which will be released and the positive impact on children. We should sleep when we are at peace.
Opening of the heart is a must. There is no other go. We must listen to others without prejudice. We must listen with empathy and not to respond. Heartful listening involves listening with joy, patience, poise. Poise is the result of meditation. But mostly, we do not listen to others, or we listen but with prejudice. Thus, managers often get upset when their subordinates say something that is not in agreement. Openness and acceptance go together.
Mediation helps in selecting, filtering, and practising. When we meditate, our mind becomes clear. Then we can make the right decisions. A meditative state of mind represents a state of yoga. A yogic, spiritual approach to material life is the need of the hour. Later in the session, Dr Patel responded that there is nothing wrong in making money. But we should do so in the right way and with a spiritual mindset.
We must love our work. Then something will happen. Consider a farmer toiling away in a farm. He may view it as drudgery. But if he realizes that he is becoming physically fit in the process, he will be more motivated.
Attitude is the difference between a good and a bad employee. Attitude is far more important than professional knowledge.
Getting irritated or angry is not abnormal. Kama (lust) and krodha (anger) are natural. We cannot eliminate them completely. Energy cannot be destroyed. It can only be converted from one form to another. Similarly, we should try to convert our passion to compassion. When we become angry, we should not punish ourselves more than what is necessary. We should not allow it to affect our heart. Sometimes we have to get things done. To make sure that others do not take advantage of our kindness, we may have to pretend to be angry. But we should of course not get “heartfully angry”. Anger if it goes out of control burns others and also burns us.
It is better to be religious than non-religious. But we should go beyond religion and religious rituals.
There are important differences between religion and spirituality. Religion is all about beliefs. Dr Patel’s father was very religious. But he could not feel or express the real benefits of religion. Only when he took to meditation, he got real happiness.
Religion is more theoretical. Spirituality is about actualization and practice. Religion is external while spirituality is personal and internal. Religion is dogma while spirituality is experience.
Understanding divinity is not easy. Few recognized Lord Krishna’s divinity when he was on the earth. Even Arjuna treated him as a friend till the Mahabharata war and Vishwa Roopam. We must train ourselves to feel and recognize divinity. Meditation goes beyond the objectivity of divinity to the subjectivity.
Karma/Shrama are widely misunderstood. To achieve results, we must work. Lord Krishna did not tell us to stop working or not to have targets. Indeed, we should have a plan of action, a budget and targets. However, we should work without any condition or attachment to results. We should surrender to the Almighty and go about doing our duties.
कर्मण्येवाधिकारस्ते मा फलेषु कदाचन।मा कर्मफलहेतुर्भूर्मा ते सङ्गोऽस्त्वकर्मणि॥ २-४७
Karmanye vadhikaraste Ma Phaleshu Kadachana,
Ma Karmaphalaheturbhurma Te Sangostvakarmani
You have the right to work only but never to its fruits. Let not the fruits of action be your motive, nor let your attachment be to inaction.
We should transcend religion, not abandon religion. This just like meditation transcends the mind.
- Belief is strengthened by experience.
- Experience is strengthened by becoming.
- Becoming is strengthened by renunciation.
Daaji recalled that his father would ask priests to come to his home to perform the Maha Mrityunjay Homam. Daaji is strongly against the idea of priests praying on our behalf. He calls this a surrogate approach. Our relationship with God should be more personal and direct. We cannot hire someone to manage this relationship on our behalf.
Spirituality and materiality are not against each other. There is nothing wrong with making money. But we should make money wisely and with spirituality. For a better world, it is important that good people rather than bad ones make money. We can certainly make profits, but we should try to put them at divine service.