Q) Does It Help With Physical Pain And Ailments?

A) Of course it does but, apart from physical pain, the suffering is reduced. Suffering is the idea about physical pain. When you get hurt, there will be pain and suffering. The suffering can be completely removed. Here is a simple technique that you can try. If you have a knee pain, relax and put your awareness on that area and remove the word 'pain' from your mind. Continuously, in your inner chattering, you will be uttering the word, 'Pain, pain, pain.' Just remove that word and be aware. Just like a child looking at a rose, with all curiosity and inquisitiveness, look at your knee with curiosity about what is happening in your knee. It sounds impractical, but try it for a few days; not only will the pain disappear but you will start feeling pleasure in the same area. I can assure you, from my experience of personally meeting a quarter of a million people individually, that this technique works.

You see, pain is nothing but energy gushing to the affected area to heal it. By looking at it with awareness, you are allowing the energy to do its healing work. And, when you allow this to happen, you will feel pleasure, because healing is very soothing. Instead, if you tighten up with the word 'pain', the energy is not allowed to do its work and you will land up only in suffering.

Q) Many elderly people develop frontal lobe damage in their brain. Does a lifetime of meditation prevent it?

A) Yes, it will surely prevent damage done not only to your mind but also to many other parts of your body. Our lifestyle is such that we abuse our body and mind so much that I sometimes wonder how it is still running! Falling sick is not surprising given how much we abuse our body, but, the fact that it is running despite all that, is amazing!

Q) How are meditation and illness related? Is cancer a psychosomatic disease?

A) Thousands of studies have shown that stress is the main cause of all psychosomatic diseases. In my experience, cancer is psychosomatic. I see thousands of patients and, in Bharat, we have thousands of testimonials and case studies. We are also trying to do research here in the U.S. I can say that psychosomatic tendencies and stress play an important role in cancer.

From my own study, I have concluded that, whenever you feel someone else is beautiful and you are not happy with your body, that gap between your mind and body is the main reason for cancer. From talking to patients I have healed, I have arrived at these conclusions but I can't quantify it with figures. We have trained healers, doing healing as a service in 20 countries. Everyday, people are touched by our healers. From all this, I can tell you that stress is one of the most important factors in most diseases.

Q) Can a young child be taught meditation?

A) If the child is at least seven years old, he can be taught meditation. Before they turn seven, children don't need meditation; they are already in meditation. By age seven we disturb them; we start exercising conditioning over their innately meditative state. Then we have to give them meditation.

Q) My daughter is extremely difficult to get along with. She is extremely restless. Even in her sleep, some part of her body is moving.

A) How old is she?

Five

Then it's just pure energy Ma. We don't have to control it; why should we control it? It will settle down on its own.

Q) These days, people are very busy. Whether they are 15 years old or 80 years old, is it really important for them to make time for meditation?

A) We always give appointments to everyone but never to ourselves. We must find some time to give an appointment to ourselves, if at all we want to live happily.

Q) Does it mean anything when I see colors during meditation? I see the colour purple when I meditate.

A) These are experiences that happen during meditation. Purple is supposed to be a healing color. It means you are creating silence in your being; you have grown to a certain level in meditation.