The Heart's Prayer: God Witnessing Our Devotion

So today it came that unceasing prayer, to just be with God constantly in a way that I say, 'Ram, Ram, Ram,' and He hears me say, 'Ram, Ram, Ram,' and then after a while it is Atma itself praying, either in the form of saying the words or praying in silent devotion, and I am watching this holiness in front of me. So it seemed like sometimes I am the driver of this and sometimes He Himself is the driver of this. And it's subtle. He's always the driver of this; I'm not saying He's not, but I'm talking about what it feels like when we get on this endeavor to be with God. So I am praying, 'Who am I?' and He witnesses this, and then the wonder, the question shifts its place. And I'm just watching from there. So traditionally this process has been given many words: sadhana or whatever fancy things, contemplative prayer, contemplative meditation—all of these terms have been used for this. But our life shifts into this active seeming prayer and then infused prayer within our heart unceasingly.

We were talking about what it feels like when we get on this endeavor to be with God. So I am praying 'Who am I?' and He witnesses this, and then the wonder, the question shifts its place. And I'm just watching from there. So traditionally this process has been given many words: sadhana or lecture dena or whatever fancy things—contemplative prayer, contemplative meditation—all of these terms have been used for this. But our life shifts into this active-seeming prayer and then infused prayer within our heart unceasingly, nirantar. And I just feel like another, in my heart, by God's grace, another master key has been given to us for us to lead our lives in this devoted-to-His-presence way.

So when you take God's name or when you inquire into who you really are, do you notice that that process is being witnessed in your heart? You see, so that is God watching you pray in your heart temple and going through various stages of practice. It becoming almost automatic-seeming in the head is called ajapa japa. Then it falling into the heart with some push required. Then it becoming automatic. See, automatic being a bad way to say God Himself, the Atma Himself, is praying; it becomes that way in the heart itself. So you enter the temple and the prayer is infused in the walls of the temple itself and you feel it deeply in your heart.