_GoBack -- What is meditation? -- What is the mind? How do I attain peace of mind? -- What is personality? -- What is the meaning of detachment? -- Why should one get detached? -- Can you scientifically prove the existence of the Self? -- How do I reach inner stillness and experience the Self? -- For transcending the mind, how can you use the mind? -- Doesn't it sound too tedious and boring? -- How do I overcome anger and become happy? -- Why should we live in the present moment? -- Making plans about the future - should I not do it? -- Isn't the future a possible reality? -- What is bondage and what is freedom? -- Is the purpose of meditation not to think at all? -- If my happiness is within myself, why do I feel happy in the company of my friends? -- Is the mind a static and unchangeable entity? -- Are there some people in the world who will never change? If yes, should we still try to change them? -- What is the highest duty in life? -- Why do duties always appear heavy and tiring? -- What is the spirit in which duties should be done? -- I feel that my highest duty is realization of the Self. But I also have duties at home. How do I reconcile? -- People are unhappy. Should we not try to change them? -- Am I allowed to be angry with my children? -- I get very disturbed when my husband does not appreciate me. How should I remain peaceful? -- Why do I get disturbed when my friends misunderstand me? -- I became sad when my friend said that I was a liar. What should I do to overcome this repeating pattern in me? -- Is the experience of awareness the same with everybody? If yes, then why don't we get it easily? -- Are there any stages in the blossoming of awareness? -- I am able to be aware of my anger. Is this meditation? -- Is detachment austerity? -- How is love related to dependence and happiness?.

My boyfriend has cheated on me again and again. What should I do now? -- I find meditation so difficult. The mind does not find peace. Am I doing it wrong? What is the right way? -- What is the meaning of stillness of mind? -- My mind becomes quiet when I run or swim. Is that meditation? -- Do you think that in the busy Western world, it is possible to attain enlightenment? -- Going to meditation and facing oneself is scary. Is it not better that I keep myself in darkness? -- You say live in the present. Can you please explain? -- Don't you think that putting a dam on thoughts can hamper creativity? Is creativity an end in itself? -- You can't avoid certain worries like when your child is sick. Or can you? -- Without desires, how will we maintain our families? -- How can I avoid feeling sad when people I love leave me? -- Some pain has real purity and beauty about it. Can you explain? -- Is marriage an outdated and flawed concept? -- I am recently married. My commitment is for a lifetime. What should I do to keep my relationship with my husband ever blooming? -- To me, expectations give security. Why is it wrong? -- Why do some people naturally remain happy even without doing meditation? -- Don't you think detachment can lead to irresponsibility and lack of commitment? -- What about the warmth one gets in attachment? I don't want to rid myself of it. I like getting attached. -- I have always been a nurturer. I want to help people grow. But why am I not happy? -- My son died eight months ago. Thoughts of him keep coming to me in my meditation. What should I do? -- If everybody is contented, how can there be any progress? -- What is pure love? I am in love with somebody and I feel it is pure love. -- Isn't one always buffeted by love? -- How can you love someone who has harmed you? I feel hatred.

I feel for beggars, but how can I give money to everybody? If I do that, I will also become a beggar. -- How do I handle unreasonably stubborn people? -- How do we remain balanced if we are not successful? -- My husband has a heart of gold. But I don't like him. His presence irritates me. Should I leave him? -- If everything is impermanent, why meditate? Meditation is also impermanent. Can you explain again what meditation means? -- Won't faith in a path lead to fanaticism? Can those who are fanatics ever be peaceful? -- Is the experience of awareness and bliss similar in everybody? How do I attain that experience? -- My back hurts while meditating. What should I do? -- I get distracted by the noises. What is the trick? -- Many times, I fall asleep in meditation. What tips can I follow to deepen my meditation? -- How can I see God in meditation? -- How do I annihilate the ego? When the ego vanishes, what remains? -- How will I know that I am progressing in meditation? -- I want to go out of my body. How do I do that? And is it advisable? -- Is it not better to concentrate on breathing and sensations, rather than doing deep contemplation work? -- It is a personal question for you. Don't you think that living a meditative life, you are missing something? -- When I meditate, all negativities rise up. Is meditation not for me? -- What is the definition of perfection and what is success in life? -- What is the best time and place for meditation? What other supports can one use for its deepening? -- Why do I want to slap myself when I don't have deep meditation? -- If something is bothering me for a long time, can I change it through meditation? -- Can you do meditation when you are hungry? How does food affect meditation? -- Isn't suppression of feelings bad?.

At times, my mind is so restless that I cannot meditate at all. Should I continue with increased effort and resilience? -- During meditation, I get insights about my practice. Is that a disturbance? How should I incorporate them in my meditation? -- Is renunciation necessary for meditation? -- Is suffering necessary for following a spiritual path? -- When "ego" is destroyed, what happens to the memories? -- Gandhi lived his life in sadness. Is he a role model? Did he reach the state of enlightenment? -- What is karma? Is karma attached to the ego or to the eternal Self? -- Why should I be held accountable when I am "out of integrity"? Didn't God also create cheating? Isn't it good to cheat? -- Where is the line between mundane and spiritual? Any advice on how to handle the mundane? -- If everything is temporary, how can lasting peace last? -- During meditation, I see images and colors. I also want to get visions and powers. Is it good? -- When I am lost in a nightmare, I feel fear. This fear is no different from the fear of my waking state. What do I learn from the two states? -- Why are stars always distant? -- I want to be compassionate. But, how do I deal with those who are cruel to animals? -- If I like to wear the color blue, does that mean I am dependent? -- Where do you draw the line between compassion and interference? -- Do you think doing things for instant gratification is bad? -- Why do you encourage contemplation? Why not meditation? -- Sometimes in my meditation, I get useful thoughts. Should I remain involved in them? -- Is it not preferable to meditate walking rather than sitting still? -- Is not tolerance, like that of Gandhi, for the weak only? -- I am separated from my husband. Now, I am living with my two daughters. Is earning for them and giving them a good life bad?.

My partner is a nonvegetarian and I need to do shopping for him, too. Is it not bad karma on my part? -- Sometimes, connection with awareness is spontaneous. At other times, it is difficult. How do we get through difficult times? -- What is the role of a Sangha, a support group, for our practice? -- My husband abuses me in every possible manner. Should I continue living with him? I am completely broken. -- I have found out that there is a molester of children in my family. When I tried to tell my family, they started blaming me instead. Nobody loves me. Nobody understands me. What should I do? -- What is the purpose of eating, breathing, and walking meditations? Can they replace sitting meditation? -- Any advice for keeping the peace we gain in the retreat, as we prepare to integrate it into our noisy and busy lives? -- Further Questions and Inquiry -- About the Author -- _GoBack.