Positive Affirmations

Positive affirmations are the first step towards adopting the Supreme Entity as your center, and as a result get all the advantages of such an identification with ulimate perfection.


A. Make your own list of affirmations

Students List all qualities of God
They write: He is ....., or God is.....
They read their list aloud and I make one big list on the board.
Change "He" or "God", by "I am".... It makes a personal affirmation list.

Let them work on their personal list.

B. What's the best pose for affirmations?

Exercise on meditation pose:
Let students take different poses.
Arms up, hands on the waist, finger pointed forward, joined hands.
Have them watch for feelings or thoughts induced by each position.
Lead them to feel superiority of joined hands.
Explain: the joining of hands is better because it keeps the energy inside. More energy is then available for spiritual practice, leading to a better concentration.
If we don't join hands energy will be lost through them.
Exemple of Varabhaya Mudra (pose seen on Buddha statues, and used by some great spiritual masters as a way of blessing), that absorbs negative Energy and gives positive Energy.
Some therapies uses joined hands position.

What would be best for legs and why?
Discussion leads to:
Lotus, or another crossed leg pose is best for the same reasons. Lotus and joined hands is the pose for maximum energy.

Other exercise for eye position:
look at rose or at your neighbor. What are your thoughts, write them down.
We don't want want to think about things we are seeing. Any way to avoid that? Close eyes.


C. Some exemple of possible affirmations.

Here are some of some of the qualities of God.
Take one quality at a time and explain it with a story. Then short meditation on the quality, ("I am bliss" etc.) , trying to feel it. Use silent repeating.

Bliss: the supreme joy, the infininite spiritual ecstasy, the absolute contentment. Here are some Baba's quotes about Bliss:

"Once one enters deep into the realm of permanent composure one gets a permanent abode in that supreme state of bliss. "
"Bliss is the completely balanced state of mind, the highest state of human life. One who experiences bliss is not affected at all by feelings of happiness or sorrow."
"Only the state of Nirvikalpa (total suspension of the mind) is the state of vacuity. In this state of absolute vacuity the spiritual waves of exhilaration that fill the unit-entity still continue to flow and trail on for some time even after that state of vacuity, i.e, after the mind returns due to unserved Samskaras (the consequential reactive momenta of one's past deeds). These very trailing waves of exhilaration of and joyous exuberance keep reminding the 'mindful' Sadhaka) the intuitional practiser) that his 'mind'-les state had been one of absolute bliss."

Proposed story:
Once upon a time a wood cutter went into a forest to chop wood. There suddenly he met a bramachari. The holy man said to him, « My good man, go forward». On returning home the wood-cutter asked himself, « Why did the Brahmachari tell me to go forward? » Some time passed. One day he remembered the brahmachari's words. He said to himself, « Today I shall go deeper into the forest. » Going deep into the forest, he discovered innumerable sandal-wood trees. He was very happy and returned with cart-loads of sandal-wood. He sold them in the market and became very rich.
A few days later he again remembered the words of the holy man to go forward. He went deeper into the forest and discovered a silver -mine near a river. This was even beyond his dreams. He dug out silver from the mine and sold it in the market. He got so much money that he didn't even know how much he had.
A few days more passed. One day he thought: " The brahmachari didn't ask me to sop at the silver-mine; he told me to go forward. " This time he went to the other side of the river and found a gold-mine. The he exclaimed: " Ah, just see! This is why he asked me to go forward!"
Again, a few days afterwards, he went still deeper into the forest and found heaps of diamonds and other precious gems. He was about to take these also and become as rich as the god of wealth himself. But a thought came into his mind: "If this saintly man told me to go forward, it is because he knew about all these treasures. Strangely, he didn't seem to be interested to take them for himself. He must possess something even more precious, and that I want to". He went to meet the holy man, and ask him to show him what is more precious than all the diamonds of the world. "I have the Supreme Bliss that comes with the realization of God." Replied the holy man, and touching the wood-cutter on the forehead, he sent him into Samadhi, a trance of blissful union with God.

Controler: The Supreme Controler of the Universe and the Self.
In Baba's words: "Without His wish, not even a leaf of a tree, nor even a blade of grass can move."
"God is the Controller, and the living being is the controlled. In this world every object, big or small, from the atom to the cosmos, is controlled by the Supreme Controller."
Proposed Story: "One rainy night, Baba was in his car on a dangerous mountain road. The driver was very confident and proud about his driving skills. Suddenly the headlights went off. Unable to see anything through the windshield, the driver raised both hands and shouted for Baba's help. But the car continued to follow the road at the driver's amazement. Then, Baba said smilingly: "Do you know who is driving now?".
Let them repeat silently: "I am the Supreme Controller". They imagine themselves in control of their own self and of the universe.

Love: Pure Love, unselfishness, absence of Ego, who always wishes our welfare.
Proposed story:
A certain person, on coming across a sadhu, humbly begged him for instruction. The sadhu's advice was, "love God with all your heart and soul." The inquirer replied, "I have never seen God, nor do I know anything about Him; how is it possible that I should love Him?" The holy man inquired whom the other loved most. The answer was, "I have nobody to care for. I have a sheep and that is the only creature I love." The sadhu said: "Then tend the creature and love it with all your heart and soul and always remember that the Lord abides in it." Having given this advice the sadhu left the place. The inquirer now began to tend the sheep with loving care, fully believing that the Lord abode in the creature. After a long time the sadhu, during his return journey, sought out the person he had advised and inquired how he was getting on. The latter saluted the sadhu and said, Master, I am all right, thanks to your kind instructions. Much good has come to me by following the line of thought prescribed by you. Time and again I see a beautiful figure with four hands within my sheep and I find supreme bliss in that."
Let them repeat silently : " I am love". They imagine that a flow of love is pouring from them and reaching every entity of the universe, including themselves.

Everywhere: As the infinite entity, you permeate all space. Omniscience is a direct consequence of all-pervasiveness.
In Baba's own words: " He is the Creator of this expressed universe. But He is also in the smallest atom of this universe."
"He is great--He is very great--but is He only great? He is big, but He is also at the same time smaller than an atom, smaller than an electron. And that is why He is all-pervasive. That is, he has an easy access into the ectoplasmic stuff of each and every expressed entity. He knows everything, He is omniscient, because He resides within your mind, and the things that you think or that you speak internally are all sololoquies, are then and there tape-recorded by Him."
"One realizes that the Infinite Entity, who is ever-present in His vast Cosmic stance, is also ever-present in every molecule and atom." (Subhasita Samgraha, Part-V).

Proposed story:
One day, a muslim was praying to God. He was kneeling, bowing, and shouting at the top of his voice: "Allah is Great!" "Allah is Great!". One saintly man came to him and told him: "Why do you shout so loud? God is not only in the heaven, but He is also nearer than anything else. He is so near that He knows your own thoughts before you do... "
Let them repeat silently: "I am everywhere". They imagine they permeate all space in all directions, as well as all entities of the universe.


Timeless: The unborn, the eternal, He always was, He always is, He always will be.

In Baba's words:
"Is there any place where He doesn't reside? He was residing in every place, long, long before you even knew it existedm filling its space with His Cosmic bliss. " (Subhasita Samgraha, Part-V).
"None of the objects of the universe can be a permanent reality on account of their dependence on time, space and person. Brahma alone is the eternal reality beyond the influence of Prakrti, that is, beyond the mind. His abode is certainly above the bounds of time, place and person". (Ananda Marga Karma-Sannyas).

Proposed story:
Once Lord Krsna was walking with Arjuna, visiting the houses of his various devotees. They entered the palace of a rich man, who feasted them with many delicacies. After the meal Lord Krsna said, "You are my devotee and you have served me well. May your riches increase one thousand-fold." The man was overjoyed and thanked Lord Krsna with great fervor. The next day they visited the hut of an old widow who had nothing left in the world except her old cow which was her sole companion and only means of support. After she had fed the Lord on a simple meal of milk and bread, the Lord said, "You are my devotee and you have served me well. Tomorrow your cow will die. " And they left the hut. Arjuna's mind was in turmoil. How could the Lord have blessed that rich, materialistic man with so much wealth, and cursed that poor devout lady with the death of her cow? Lord Krsna, knowing his disciple's confusion, said gently, "The ways of the Lord are often very mysterious; you cannot always understand them. You see, that man had such desire for more material possession, and I fulfilled that desire. Now he will soon tire of this treasures and his mind will turn more and more towards Me. And that poor old lady whom you pity so -- she is almost freed from all her worldly bondage, but her mind is on Me only half the time. The rest of the time it is on her beloved cow. Now that the cow is dead she will think only of Me, and very soon she will attain complete Liberation." We only see the present, But God's vision reaches far into the past and the future of any creature.

Repeat silently: "I am timeless." Imagine your presence at all times. You are the entity above time.

Nucleus of the Universe: Hub of the universe, around who everything revolves.
In Baba's words:
"For a proper or a well-knit structure, there must be one nucleus and there must be many entities moving around that nucleus. Whether within a very little atom or in this vast cosmological order, the same movement is there around a nucleus. Hence in the middle there is the nucleus and everybody is moving around it and always the path is to some extent elliptical. I said "to some extent" as it is not actually elliptical. In the case of atoms, electrons are moving. In case of our etherial order, the moon moves around the earth. In case of our solar system so many planets are moving around the sun, and in the Supreme Cosmological Order the point of command is Parama Purus'a. He is the nucleus and everybody is moving around Him."(SUBHAS'ITA SAM'GRAHA).

Let them repeat silently: "I am the Nucleus of the Universe". They imagine themselves as the motionless center around which all physical and psychic entities evolve in an endless dance.

One without a second: Everything is within Him, One great Cosmic Entity, without replica.
In Baba's words:
"As soon a mental darkness is dispelled, one will see everything as effulgent in the light of knowledge. The entire universe will appear as an unbroken, infinite, radiant entity. There will be no difference between night and day, between real and unreal. Diversity will merge into singularity. All expressions will merge in the integral Macrocosmic Entity. " (Subhasita Samgraha, Part-V).

Proposed story:
Once a king asked a yogi to impart Knowledge to him in one word. The yogi said, "All sight; you will get knowledge in one word." After a while a magician come to the king. The king saw the magician moving two of his fingers rapidly and heard him exclaim, " Behold, O king, Behold. The kiing looked at him amazed when, after a few minutes, he saw the two fingers becoming one . The magician moved that one finger rapidly and said, "Behold, O King! Behold. "

Let them repeat silently: "I am One". Imagine you are One Infinite Entity and all entities inside you, as an integral part of yourself.

Free: no samskara, no desire, no bondages of time, place, person, no enemies, no pain
In Baba's own words:
"Where the A'tman is free from all objects, that is, free from all types of afflictions, it is called Parama'tman."
When a person attains that stage, then they cannot see, hear, or feel anything, they attain the rank of Brahma. But ordinarily people do not attain this state since worldly glamours keep their senses engrossed with different objects. In order to be free from the objects they have to undergo special processes. Where there is an object, the feeling of Brahma is not there. Humankind as a whole has to undergo certain disciplines in order to be free from the objective feelings. These disciplines are termed "Sa'dhana".
"Where there is no anxiety about the "I" and no desire to preserve the separateidentity of the "I", then a state of complete freedom from objects or thoughts is achieved. This state is called, "salvation", or "nirvikalpa sama'dhi"." (Ananda Marga Karma-Sannyas).

Proposed story:
The third patriarch of Zen spread the rain of truth. One day a young monk came to him. The monk asked him: "I beg you, master, to show your compassion and lead me to the dharma-gate of liberation. "Who has put you in bondage?" answered the master. The monk kept silent for a while and then said: "Nobody has put me in bondage." Sengcan then told him: "Since nobody has put you in bondage, it means you are free already. Why should you continue to seek liberation?" The monk became enlightened upon hearing these words. He succeeded Sengcan to become Fourth Patriarch Daoxin.

One Dada mentioned how sad everyone felt in having to leave Timmern. Baba replied by telling a story: "A great sage Kanva lived alone in a forest. He loved to help people. So he often took it upon himself to go to the town, find sick helpless people, and bring them back to his hermitage to care for them until they recovered. He was well known for this generosity. One day a mother came to Kanva, and left her baby girl Shakuntala under the saint's benevolent care. Kanva raised Shakuntala until she reached the age of marriage. At this time, King Dushmanta arrived, and claimed Shakuntala as his queen. As she was preparing to leave, Kanva found himself gripped with feelings of despair. He thought, 'I am a renunciate and a yogi. I should be free from the emotions of affection.'"
Baba asked, "Why was he having these feelings? Although he was a sage, he was living in the world, and thus bound by the relative factor. Now all of you boys and girls are doing meditation to be free of bondages. Being here in the world, however, it is impossible to deny bondage." Baba's way of speaking was so gentle that everyone wept.

Let them repeat silently: "I am free". They imagine themselves in a state of ultimate freedom beyond all bondages, and the affliction they bring.

Aware: Undisturbed Consciousness in everyone, Common for all, Witness of our actions and thoughts, the "I" in "I know that I am".

In Baba's own words:
" Now you know that in the mind of each and every living being is this feeling of "I exist." "I am, I exist." This "I" is the subtlest mind. But don't you know that there is\par the feeling of "I exist" in you? You know it. You know this fact, that there is the feeling of "I exist" in you. Don't you know it? Then "I know the fact that I exist.I know the\par fact that there is a feeling of "I exist" in me." Now here, the "I" of "I exist", the subject of the sentence "I exist", is the subtlest mind. And the "I" of "I know", the subject of the sentence "I know that I exist", is the atman, is the Spirit, is the SOUL. It is not the mind. There is the feeling of "I exist" in me. "I exist" -that is the subtlest mind. And the feeling that "I exist" is in me, is known to\par me. That knowing "I" [I know that I exist], the "I" of "I know", is the atman, the Spirit, the Soul."

"Separate the mind from cognition or consciousness, and see that His resplendence lightens up your whole inner being."

Proposed story:
Once upon a time there was a great King named Narendra. This king had the passion of gymnastic especially the discipline of club yielding. He was going to exercise every morning among other gymnasts who didn't know he was the king. They were calling him "gymnast". When Narendra was sitting on his trone, in solemn pompe, with his crown and other kingly apparels, his fellow gymnasts were calling him "King!", as they were unable to recognize him. One day Narendra went out to meet his fellow gymnasts without wearing either the king or the gymnast outfit. When they saw him, they sudenly realized that the gymnast and the king were one and the same and they called him in surprise: "Narendra!".
Narendra is a king when on the throne, and a gymnast when using a club. When throne and club are taken away, you can't see the difference between Narendra the king and Narendra the gymnast. They all become Narendra. Your consciousness is like Narendra. It is the same consciousness that witnesses the thoughts in our mind. When our thoughts are pure, our consciousness also apparently becomes pure. When our thoughts are sinful, our soul apparently becomes sinful. But when we stop taking negative or positive objects, our consciousness apparently regains its totality. Actually our consciousness remained the same as it was witnessing our changing thoughts.

Let them repeat silently: "I am aware". They imagine that they are undisturbed and peaceful Consciousness, witnessing all their passing thoughts.

Guru: The Supreme Guiding Entity, of all the beings of the Cosmos.

In Baba's own words:
"When, due to the grace of the Supreme Entity, techniques of intuitional practice (sa'dhana') are imparted in the unit mind through the medium of a Guru, the way to emancipation from bondages is opened, and the unit mind begins to transcend all sorrows and miseries. By virtue of this sa'dhana', one can free oneself from the vicious cycle of karma, resulting in the soul getting immediate liberation from all mental bondages. .... This attainment is achieved with the grace of Supreme Consciousness in the form of a Guru. Hence there is only one Guru: the Supreme Entity alone is the Universal Guru." (Subha'sita Samgraha, Part-V).

Proposed story:
Kabir was a simple weaver of Mohammedan descent but in his heart he was a great devotee of the Lord who had transcended all barriers of caste, religion and race. At the time Swami Ramananda was the greatest teacher in Benares, but since Ramananda was a Hindu and Kabir was born a Muslim, Ramananda would not take him as his disciple. With intense yearning, however, Kabir desired initiation into the practices by which he could realize the truth. One night he was sleeping on a step of one of the docks on the river Ganges, when Ramananda came by for his evening walk. As usual, Ramananda was chanting his mantra, "Rama, Rama" on his breath as he walked, in full ideation of the Supreme. Suddenly, he tripped over the sleeping body of Kabir and he spontaneously took the Lord's name aloud "Rama, Rama"!! Kabir woke to these words and thought that his long awaited master had finally initiated him! He fell at Ramananda's feet and surrendered to him and Ramananda had to take him as his disciple, Kabir practiced with great sincerity and diligence and himself became a realized Master.

Let them repeat silently: "I am the Supreme Guru". They imagine they are one with that benevolent guiding entity which keep an intimate relationship with each being of the universe.

Share feelings. Which one do you like best? why?

Homework: Use your favorite affirmation at home for meditation twice daily. Silently repeat for exemple "I am love" for 5 minutes morning and evening.