Registration: - As a result of one such discussion, this humble self decided to accept, adopt, practise, disseminate and popularise the VCM techniques to the wayward, confused and suffering humanity in this part of India. This is how the WSF-South India Chapter came into being on 27 January, 1994 with a Certificate of Registration issued by the District Registrar of Adyar, Madras. The Chapter is registered as a Trust, the Chief Trustee being Mr. Ujagar Singh, in deference to the wishes of Bhai Sahib.
Managing Trustee: - Mr Ujagar Singh belongs to the IAS (Indian Administrative Service), which is the top-most elite service in India for managing public administration, public sector corporations, boards, federations, public services, civil supplies and above all, maintenance of peace, law and public order. He has distinguished himself with a fair and unbiased style of administration, responsive to public needs and grievances for more than twenty years and has endeared himself to one and all. It is a matter of some pride and satisfaction that he brought his rich experience in public handling to the WSF, leading to its speedy registration, recognition and progress.
Coverage: - It is also a matter of appreciation that very soon the South India Chapter attracted people from all faiths and beliefs, young and old, men and women, newsmen and grocery merchants, engineers and bankers, wayward and the preachers, businessmen and the advocates, Government servants and the self-employed, all alike to its fold. As a result, the Chapter decided to appoint four Vice-Presidents, one each from the Mohammedan, Christian, Hindu and the Sikh communities.
Management: - Composition of Managing Committee is as below:-
Membership: - All the above persons are also permanent members of the Chapter, whose membership has risen from a mere 16 at the time of Registration, to a formidable number of 41 at present.
Objectives: - The main objectives of the South India Chapter are spiritual upliftment through the VCM techniques, social service, removal of doubts in various forms of worship and meditation, interpretation of philosophy propounded in various scriptures, inter-faith harmony, inculcation of selfless service in a spirit of sacrifice without considerations of caste, colour, creed, gender, race or class. The central objective anyway continues to be awakening of super-conscious and sub-conscious mind and ennoblement of the human mind. The Chapter has been appreciated in public media and also by the political and social leaders. There are also enquiries from other towns to start similar branches, although this could not be done mainly for want of an accredited teacher.
Resources: - The expenditure towards various activities such as organisation of public functions, meetings of the Chapter, stationery of various types, mike and publicity, etc. are being met but currently through the voluntary contributions made by the managing committee and other members. The Chapter has not accepted donations from large organisations and people who usually have some self interest in making such a donation. It is also the policy of this Chapter not to approach moneyed class with a begging bowl as it will adversely affect the functioning of the Chapter in future. Voluntary and totally selfless contributions are welcome anyway.
Location: - The South India Chapter is presently functioning at the residence of the President itself, since it has no separate space or building. With the return of the President from New Delhi on transfer to Chennai, the organisation intends to make an application to the State Government of Tamil Nadu to allot a suitable site at free of cost/nominal cost, upon which a suitable building would be constructed at a later date. It is proposed to have a Meditation hall, office room, a Reception-cum-Information room where newspapers and periodicals of contemporary value will be kept, and some space for public conveyances.
Area of Responsibility: - The South India Chapter concentrates on similar activities in the Southern states of Tamil Nadu, Kerala, Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh and the union territories of Pondicherry, Lakshadweep and Goa. In addition to the above, the Chapter has peripheral jurisdiction in the adjoining States of Orissa, Maharastra, and to some extent, Gujarat and Madhya Pradesh. Besides the above, it is worth mentioning here that the President of the Chapter popularises and explains the VCM techniques to all and sundry wherever he travels. For example, he succeeded in initiating VCM techniques among the interested aspirants at Ambikapur in Easternmost district of Madhya Pradesh, where he was deputed by the Election Commission of India to ensure a free and fair poll as their General Observer. He also succeeded in bringing many people in the Northern States of Punjab, Haryana, New Delhi, and Uttar Pradesh into the fold of VCM.
Meetings: - The Managing Committee met on 14 occasions and disposed business, giving directions to the Chapter. Weekly meditation sessions are held usually on Sundays, as per convenience of the participants. Most of the meetings are held at the local Gurdwara (Sikh Temple) or at the residence of one of the members, in rotation. This is followed by meditation sessions invariably, which is then followed by a general discussion, removal of doubts, common interest matters, even family matters to the extent brought forward by the concerned member, jokes, gossip and friendly nothings. This is followed by a fabulous lunch/dinner, tea, coffee, etc. usually provided by the host member. The proceedings are recorded in a Minutes Book for record and reference in the future. So far, all decisions have been taken on the basis of unanimity. This speaks volumes about the sincerity, purposefulness, devotion, sense of belonging and application of mind by all members. There is no place of ego nor self-centredness was noticed during deliberations. All members contribute their ideas and discuss and debate their viewpoint in a spirit of utmost cooperation and affectionate warmth. This helps in pooling of energies and strengths to progress faster.
Other Activities: - The Chapter organised public functions on several occasions to honour various persons who did yeomen service to the humanity, without bias or prejudice, and in a noticeable spirit of self-less service to help the needy, downtrodden, poor, and the deserving. A small Memento bearing logo of WSF and a Certificate of Distinction are also being given to the awardees, and it is usually distributed by the chief guest on the occasion.
General: - Bhai Sahib was kind enough to make a second visit to India in 1997. During this tour, the President of South India Chapter organised seminars-cum-meditation sessions at Gurdwaras at Green Park, Janakpuri, Sarojini Nagar, India International Center – all at New Delhi; and similar sessions at Bamala in Sangrur District, Jalandhar, Amritsar, in the state of Punjab. Needless to say that these sessions were a resounding success, evoking strong response from the participants and occasionally provoking them a bit, which style of Bhai Sahib you are well familiar with. It may be added here that many people in these places have commenced VCM on a regular basis. The President of South India Chapter is making efforts to have them formally registered.
INTEGRATION OF YOGA WITH VCM
by Ujagar Singh
VCM (Vibrant Charismatic Meditation earlier and since renamed as Vibrant Celestial Meditation) is a technique for quicker spiritual advancement. It is a set of tools and methodologies to sharpen the mind, awaken the Sub-conscious and Super-conscious mind, optimise the use of human conscious mind, awaken the dormant Kundalini or the serpent power, also called the Holy Spirit or Dath Para Shakti, achievement of Turiya puth for the fourth state of Transcendence. Similar results can also be achieved through other forms of meditation, acquiring knowledge through reading of Scriptures, abjurement of worldly pleasures and giving of alms to the needy and helpless, and the Divine mercy. But they may take a much longer time to fructify and sometimes the success may be only partial. The efforts may also be very arduous. Moreover, for reading these Scriptures dedicated efforts have to be made sometimes for several decades. It needs a person, who can continuously explain the Scriptures for which he has to be himself well-versed in them. Being householders and family people it is usually not possible or expected from all the people to abjure these worldly pleasures. Any why should they? God has sent them into this world, where all these facilities for pleasure and comforts have been created by Him and placed at the disposal of Man. All that is required is that, Man should make judicious use of these comforts and lead a responsible, balanced life. As for Divine mercy, it may devolve upon any person at any time, but it is all up to the Creator to shower His mercies upon His creation! There is nothing that we can do to get it, leave alone hasten or secure it with certainty.
Bhai Sahib has laid down that the meditation has to be done in a comfortable posture. No straining of the body is to be done. The posture for meditation has to be easy, making it easier also to hold the aspirant in that posture for a long time (15-20 minutes), without altering it. The posture should also be relatively easy to assume. In the physical exercises done under various systems including yoga, it is not possible to hold the posture for a long time. Even assuming a comfortable posture is sometimes very difficult or impossible for some persons especially the aged. Moreover it needs constant practice for a long time and also the guidance of a competent master. Any thing done to the contrary can result in sprains, muscle pulls, even serious injuries – both external and internal. Therefore, a great stress is laid on the correct technique or exercises, its frequency and the importance of guidance of a master. This is true of all systems of physical exercises devoted towards the maintenance/improvement of physical well-being. How does Yoga help the VCM? How to integrate, if at all, the two to get quicker benefits? Can this at all be done?
Though all the systems of physical exercises help in improvement/maintenance of physical aspect of health, it also takes care of the mental (or spiritual) health. It improves concentration and controls a wandering mind. It sharpens the intellect primarily through better concentration and also improves the analytical ability to some extent. In the VCM meditation sessions, sometimes the difficulties are experienced by the practitioners in achieving real spontaneity, particularly in the initial stages. The mind continues to run in all directions and there is no harmony between the body and the mind. Repeated and strenuous efforts have to be made by the adherent to achieve/maintain relaxed spontaneity and to keep the mind fixed. In the initial stages, it looks insurmountable. After a few sessions, with an astute perseverance and under the guidance of a master and also with the blessings of Almighty, super spontaneity is slowly achieved.
Yoga system is very useful in securing a decent and pleasing health to the practitioner. Once the body becomes stronger with all its functions harmonising with each other, a general well-being is achieved. The muscles become stronger and various organs do their functions more efficiently. This enables assumption of a good and comfortable posture during the VCM and also thereafter making it easier to hold on to that posture for the duration of meditation if that is at all required. The point here is that a strong body will support strong meditation.
During VCM sessions, it is usual for some persons to experience a small pain in the neck because of slightly forward bending of the neck. Some people also experience a small pain in the leg muscles and the ankle joints. A few people can’t sit or stand erect because they feel pain in the spinal cord and sometimes in the shoulders or chest. Yoga exercises can be extremely helpful in getting rid of such problems. The bottomline here is that Yoga can be safely and gainfully integrated with the VCM to achieve a comfortable posture, to hold on to it during the entire period of meditation and to keep the mind fixed by achieving a very high degree of spontaneity in relaxation, e.g. an electric drill vis-à-vis the hand operated drill.
VCM AS A WAY OF LIFE
After a VCM practitioner gets a certain degree of proficiency, which may usually take a few months of dedicated meditation, VCM becomes a routine activity for him. There is not any particular effort made or needed and the meditation becomes one of the daily routines for him. It automatically fits into his daily regime of work and a person feels its necessity just as food or sleep. He may also start getting better intuitions and may even be getting clear-cut dreams meant for his guidance and also for removal of difficulties, problem-solving, etc.
VCM philosophy soon starts moderating him and he slowly leaves his extreme habits. This gets expressed in everything he does or comes across. This way even the routine activities such as eating, drinking, enjoying pleasures of life are moderated. He feels the impact of VCM on all these activities and experiences some difficulty in committing any excesses. Infact, his concentration in the next meditation session suffers and becomes difficult as a result of the troubled mind which is the result of extremeness perpetrated by him upon others or even on his own body. He realises that the human body is the temple of God and the soul can reside in it comfortably only when it is kept clean and free from all ills and vanities. These thoughts visit upon him repeatedly everytime he commits excessiveness. Ultimately he releases the importance of bringing in self-control through self-discipline. That is where the moderation comes in.
If the practitioner persists in his endeavor for a sufficiently long period of time, he succeeds in achieving total self-control. In fact, at this stage moderation may give way to total abjurement of certain or all such tendencies. In every thing he does, talks or handles, there is an imprint of VCM philosophy noticed in his actions. VCM now becomes a way of life for him and becomes so evidently manifest.
rtals/../control.html">Earth Portal Controls |