Introduction🔗

Imagine an ant on a big iceberg, a thick slab of ice floating on the ocean. If it tries to bore a hole through the ice, how much time will it take? How many years, God only knows! But if somebody drills a hole through the ice, the ant can simply fall through the hole into the ocean.

This is exactly how the master initiates us into the Ananda Gandha. He is in the state of nithyananda – eternal bliss. In that ultimate state beyond the limitations of time, space, form, mind, he transcends all these. So, from this highest state of consciousness, he can pull us up from the state of maya, the fantasy world, the emotional imbalances that we are caught in.

If only we allow him to, if we just extend our hand slightly, he can simply pull us up. But, if we tie our hands behind our back, he cannot force us to come up. As the master says, ‘God is the perfect gentleman. He will give you the freedom to remain in bondage, because if he forces the freedom on us, even the freedom will not remain freedom because it is forced.’

When the master does the healers initiation, he opens the gate to pull us into his state of eternal bliss just like drilling a hole through the thick ice slab and pulling the ant into the ocean of bliss.

He is actually pulling us into the state of samadhi he is always in. There are 2 types of samadhi: savikalpa samadhi and nirvikalpa samadhi.

Savikalpa samadhi is when you drop attachment to all forms except the form of the master or God. For example, Ramakrishna dropped attachment to all forms except to the form of Mother Kali. Nirvikalpa samadhi is when you drop attachment to all forms. For example, Ramana Maharishi did not have attachment to any form. Savikalpa samadhi is easy to practice but in the end, to realize the ultimate, you have to drop the attachment to that last form and that is tough.

Nirvikalpa samadhi is difficult to practice but to realize the ultimate is seamless. Ananda Gandha initiation is a beautiful technique designed by the master where first you visualize the smiling face of the master and fall into savikalpa samadhi; his laughing form just pulls you into the Ananda Gandha. Then, you drop the form as the energy flows through you. So, you make a quantum leap into nirvikalpa samadhi effortlessly.

In the master’s words:

‘Shankara says beautifully, ‘Three things are difficult in life. First is manushyatva, the human birth. The second, which is rarer is mumukshatva, having the desire and the urge to search for a consciousness beyond ordinary human life. The third and the rarest is mahapurusha-sangam, being with an enlightened master and having his darshan.’

Of 1 crore (10,000,000) living beings, only 1000 get human birth. Of the 1000 human beings, hardly 10 strive for knowing the Truth and of those 10, hardly 1 or 2 meet a master.

Whether you realize it or not, all you healers assembled here have got all these three. You have a human body. You have the urge to know the truth; if it had not been so, you would not have sat for ASP, NSP, BSP and then done the healers’ initiation. And you have a living enlightened master with you. If you have these three and still miss, your life is wasted.

Sat chit ananda, all three will exist together if you are in that consciousness. They are all one consciousness. Sat (truth), chit (consciousness) and ananda (bliss) will exist together.

Being in the Ananda Gandha will not only give good physical and mental health but will also give you the clarity to handle anything that happens in the outer world. You will be able to handle your emotions properly.

For example, anger: As of now, if you are angry with someone. After shouting at the other person, the fire will burn you as much as it burnt him. You will be disturbed for the same half hour that the other person is disturbed.

But, if you are in Ananda Gandha, you will have the clarity and awareness to use the anger but be completely unaffected by it.

It is like using a knife to cut vegetables. You pick up the knife to cut vegetables and when you are finished cutting, you put it down. Do you carry the knife with you always saying that your job is to cut vegetables?

So, healing is just a side-effect of the Ananda Gandha meditation. The real effect is the transformation that happens in you, your consciousness. It is not even a growth; it is a quantum leap to a different plane.

Stay in the Ananda Gandha 24 hours, whether you are eating, driving, or breathing. The gateway to Ananda Gandha is in the region above the manipuraka chakra and below the anahata chakra. Understand this is the gateway to the Ananda Gandha in the physical body; the Ananda Gandha actually exists beyond the physical body.

Initially, you would be doing the Ananda Gandha meditation for half an hour every day. The mind will wander and you will try to bring the awareness to the Ananda Gandha whenever you remember. Ultimately, you should be in Ananda Gandha 24 hours.

I am not saying you should force yourself and concentrate on the Ananda Gandha chakra. Just bring your awareness to the Ananda Gandha constantly in a relaxed mood.

Be in Ananda Gandha for the next 24 hours. When you are really in Ananda Gandha, you are beyond body consciousness. If you are truly in Ananda Gandha, in the evening, when we have the fire-walking, you will not feel you are walking on fire. You will feel you are walking on a bed of flowers rather than a bed of fire.”

(from Healer’s Day address, December 30, 2006 at Bidadi Ashram)